The Desire For The Impossible
by Savvy the Hunter of Artemis
Summary: She hates him. He hates her. She thinks he's too frigid. Too hostile. Too arrogant. He thinks she's spoiled. Self-righteous. Self-assuming. She's Piper McLean. He's Jason Grace. She's in love and she hates it. He's infatuated and he despises it. She's forbidden. He's taken. For what comes to seem as enemies turns into friendship and in all matters of the heart, turns into love.
1. Welcome to Your Own Personal Hell

**Before you people complain, i know, I know. Another Jasper/Private Boarding school fic, Savvy? Seriously? Do you have an original bone in your body? Yes, I do. I'm writing my own novel so shut up! This has no material attached to Songbird Academy whatsoever. It's different. It's teen drama. And inspired by Jewels5 famous Jily Fanfic "The Life and Times". Read it if you haven't. It's beautiful and no matter how hard I try, I cannot ever rivaled the beauty Jewels5.**

**It won't just be Jasper, it'll feature other characters but Jasper is the primary focus here. **

**Do not own what I don't own. I think you guys get my drift.**

**Songs to listen to:**

**Yesterday by the Beatles (Piper's contemplation on the sudden change of her life due to her dad's lucky break and plus I adore this song)**

**Nutbush City by Tina Turner (because a little jazz couldn't hurt)**

Chapter 1

Welcome to Your Own Personal Hell

or

"We're all mad here"

It was a bright, sunny day at Los Angeles. Like that perfect, busy but also lovely Saturday you occasionally have. The birthplace of Hollywood seemed be enjoying itself. Thousands of the most beautiful people on the planet were shopping, hands-in-hands with other beautiful people, self-indulging themselves with branded clothing that you could easily find in the nearest factory outlet for a much cheaper price or resting on the beach, sipping hundred dollar wine as they secretly hoped a talent scout would wander by and picked them to star in the next upcoming so-and-so reality show. It's the sort of rare Saturdays where you felt lazy but actually did something productive and that act of productivity was thought-provokingly bearable.

Everyone was out doing something lovely: hanging in the beach, spending mountain loads of money you'll probably regret later or screaming whenever a familiar celebrity passes by.

Not the McLeans.

Piper McLean was ranging from a scale of one to ten how much she detested her father at the moment and Tristan McLean was ranging from a scale of one to ten how irrevocably pissed he was at his daughter now.

Both gave it a twelve.

The young brunette scowled at the floor, bracing the tenacity of her father's berate. Honestly, she thought, it wasn't that horrible. She didn't meant to accelerate the car entirely into Macy's.

"This is the last time," shouted Tristan Mclean, his handsome well-recognized face purpling in rage. In his hand was a scrunched-up gossip magazine with a red, screaming headline that reads: MCLEAN DRIVES ANGRY. The image that went along with it wasn't a happy one too. "Why, Piper, just why?"

She continued to stare at the ground, too guilty, ashamed and furious to speak.

"If you wanted the convertible, you could've just asked me- your seventeenth birthday is almost among us. If you wanted Macy's, I could've bought you the entire chain of department stores myself! Why, why, tell me why must you hijacked the car and drunk drive straight into the department store? You were lucky no one was hurt, much less dead." She still didn't speak. Was she inclined to? But it drove her dad crazy and he doubled over in rage. "Why pull all these crazy stunts, Piper? I could've given everything you want. Because you want attention? Why must you make a shame out of yourself?"

Enough was enough.

"Myself?" echoed Piper disbelievingly, standing up to be in height with her father, which was absolutely pointless because she was still a head shorter. "First of all, I wasn't drunk-driving-"

"Then how do you explain the bottles of Jack Daniels sitting in the front seat of the car?"

Ignoring him, she pursued on, "I didn't consume any of those! Second, I'm not making a shame of myself! You're just worried about your star image. You're worried about how people will talk about my upbringing and your stupid Hollywood career!"

Tristan inhaled sharply, "Don't turn this on me! This is entirely your fault and -

"My fault?" shrieked the sixteen year old, arms crossed and the bottles of inexplicable anger just started pouring out. How dare he blatantly blamed it on her? She wanted the attention because she felt like she's drowning in the midst of Hollywood incompetence and loneliness. He was always not there and it's starting to feel like she didn't have a father. She just needed to feel something. She needed the slap in the face to remind herself she still have a father who would lecture her when she did wrong. "You're never here, you always sent me off to whatever private school there is when I just want to feel like a normal girl with a normal dad who spends time with her, who sees her dad regularly and not on the covers of magazines like- like this!" She pointed to the magazine tossed aside onto the Italian crafted glass coffee table.

Her dad opened his mouth to say something- preferably countering her attacks but she was on the roll. "I hate you! I'm always alone. I have no friends, nothing and I thought maybe the one good genuine thing in my stupid Hollywood life would be my dad. You can shower me with the best clothes that I don't want, the best of friends who are stuck up and annoying or the best of schools with education to offer but it'll never make up for all the time you were never there!"

"Enough," barked her father, his breathing even now and his mask of his usual collectedness was gone. He looked like he was about to cry. "Go to your room and we'll discuss this later."

Pissed, she kicked the coffee table and pain shot up her right leg. Gritting her teeth, she stormed up the grand staircase of the Mclean mansion and slammed the sterile white door of her room shut.

Once the door was closed, she broke out crying and she hated it. Crying over small arguments like this. Rubbing her eyes roughly, she curled up in her bed of Egyptian cottoned pillows and Chinese embroidered silks.

Piper Mclean knew she had everything to be grateful for. But it wasn't anything she ever asked for or wanted.

It was what every other billions of girls wanted but not her. Funny how that works.

She finished wiping her face with the peripheral ending edge of her green blanket, crawled out of her spot and stumbled into the bathroom to clean her face. Staring at the mirror, looking back at her was a pretty face that hides a thousand of emotions. Stained glass eyes that looked like they were about to break, shatter into millions of pieces, a tapered face with a slender nose and small persimmon shaped lips and a mane of unruly, choppy hair.

Behold Piper Mclean.

She sat on the toilet for a while and contemplated what will happen next. Most predictably, her father will shipped her off to another private school of inflated egos with their inflated chests and bleached hair. She'll be out of place, known as the girl with the movie star father and a less-than-movie-star appearance and the girl who hated everything and everyone that had to do with the superficial industry of idiots and impertinence.

Blinking hard, she sighed and clenched her hands into fists before standing up again and dragging her lazy self over to the cabinets. She wished, sometimes, life can be like in Oklahoma again. Before her dad received the big break and became famous.

Sure, life in Oklahoma was damn hard. Being a Native American man, a Cherokee, and considering the shittiness of the 21st Century's economy, unemployment was an easy, proverbial rabbit hole to fall into. Everyday they stayed in the Indians Community home, sleeping in dirty sheets, and her father struggled everyday to pay for her school fees. But he had time back then, time to adroitly braid her hair into tiny plaits, time to help her with her homework and point out the massive flaws in her math ( she sucked then and she sucked now), time to take big long walks and tell unusual Creation stories of her people.

Then there was that audition. And the call back (which resulted into both of them screaming up and down like crazy, he tossed her in the air and promised everything will changed. Everything will be better). After the call back, things changed and flickered like the bloody TV switch had been turned on and the images forwarding by were as quick as the screen play.

The movie was a success and her dad was the lead and he was the brand new "It" factor in town. Casting directors sought after him to be in their movies after his "dynamic and smart acting" (as stated in Rotten Tomatoes), and his fame grew. Suddenly, they shifted to L.A with many congratulatory cheers from their Native American peers and they celebrated with a nice dinner by the Santa Monica pier, snacking on greasy burgers and that was pretty much the only dinner she ever got to finished with her father.

Life changed drastically as said before.

Her dad was constantly on the go, frequently on the phone with his agent and manager or in a foreign country, filming a movie or attending an Oscar awards show, hands in hands with some skinny face-lifted bimbo young enough to be her sister.

Her dad and her grew distant, and Piper now fully understood the feeling of isolation. No matter what kind of debaucheries you buy or indulge in it'll never fill the void of an actual human being giving you their time.

She became hardened, if there was a word for it. Rebellious. She cut her hair and wore ripped clothes to get the message across but her dad was oblivious to everything she did, unless it was something super obvious like the recent debacle she pulled.

Ramming a "borrowed" three million BMW convertible into the largest Macy's department store on Rodeo Drive with stolen stashes of alcohol lounging in the front seat was juvenile but certainly more creative than the other long list of craziness she had done over the past years. But no doubt, this one was the biggest and the worst. Surely the consequences will be dire.

She showered, and folded her legs in the bathtub, soaking in warm water as she wondered if she dipped down long enough and drown, would her father care or will he post a sob story of how miserable and pitiful he was to a magazine to gain publicity? She doubted he would give two shits if she posed naked for Playboy. He'll just bribed Playboy to take down the photos and harangued her on how to value her body and not utilized it for pornographic perverts.

She also pondered on what would her mother say. About how she turned into a typical example of a Hollywood burnout- a kid of a famous actor who went wrong and to all of Hollywood she was a spoiled kid with everything she possibly wanted and wanton for more more attention. When she just wanted one person to look at her and he wouldn't.

Her mother left her father when she was a newborn baby. She left him alone, barely with enough money to take care of a baby he wasn't ready for. Long-term hatred for her mother rose in her throat and she swallowed it down thickly, It's been sixteen years since her stupid mom had disappeared, she should be over it. But she wasn't.

Finally, she emptied the bath, dried herself with a fluffy towel and changed into stained jeans and a white shirt.

"Piper," her dad knocked the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yes."

He opened the door and settled on her bed. He looked at her impassively and she did so too, gazing at the foot of her mahogany framed bed with a sudden interest. "There's a new school for you to go."

"Let me guess, it's private and it's for the rich and annoying?"

"Piper," he said warily. "Give it a chance."

"Whatever," she replied bitterly. "Tell me where it is and Jane will organize everything while you skip over to wherever it is you need to be and I'll pack."

"You'll be going to Goode Academy, and it's in New York."

"Oh, a nice change from Connecticut, Indiana and a thousand other places. I'll be sure to snap you a postcard, dad. I mean, why do you even bother? It's just a matter of time before I'm kick out again."

"Piper," His tone levelled and she formed eye contact with her father, he reached out to grab her hand. "Please. Stop with the sarcasm and listen."

"Fine," conceded the brunette reluctantly. "Go. Tell me how brilliant the school is."

"Goode offers scholarships to the unfortunate and takes them in for free. It offers a great drama program and I know how much you like drama." He nudged her elbow and her scowl did not alleviate.

"Dad, I don't want to be an actress."

"What are you talking about?" He demanded, "You were phenomenal in that commercial! And this will be a great learning lesson to you. Goode had straightened out rich delinquents like you before and they graduated to the top universities. Don't make this about me anymore. Focus on your future. You're still interested in Yale, aren't you?"

She twisted the corner of her shirt. "Yeah."

"Then try it."

For a long moment, she stayed silent. She balanced her chances on a scale. It's another private school and it's in New York, home of hip hop and Broadway. She did want Yale and if the private school turns out to be horrible, she can always leave. Somehow, she felt this inevitable tug, like New York was calling to her, asking her to come. She weighed her choices. What does she have to lose?

"Okay, I'll go."

* * *

Piper decided in less than a second she hated Goode Academy.

It was in the Upper East side of the city. The campus was abstract, contemporary and modern. The exterior included carefully trimmed gardens of flower bushes and fertilized evergreens, steel benches and grey cement for the pavement. The building stood in it's arrogant, steel glory of silver window moldings and tinted glass windows, looking like a skyscraper rather than a school. Students were free to wear whatever they want (Thank God, if she was to seen another stuffy school blazer and pleated skirt she'll personally ransacked the halls with another stolen vehicle) so it was an array of colours.

It was the beginning of the school year and everywhere bustled with activity. Parents hugging their children, eager freshmen excited to start their high school lives, the sophomores were sullen at their demise of not having a car, juniors flashing the middle finger to the poor sophomores who watched with jealousy as the juniors showed off their brand new vehicles and the seniors: the camaraderie of teenagers who _owned_ the school.

Piper was in the limousine (courtesy of her father) and everyone was unfazed by it, which was thankful. Jane was tapping away on her Android, skimming down the contents of whatever-it-is she was reading. "We're here," announced Jane in her annoying, skeevy voice. She looked at Piper in that usual condescending way, as if she was the irritating burnt part of the cookie she was enjoying. _Glad there's two of us_, thought Piper meanly as she stepped out of the car. The chauffeur offered to collect her suitcases but Piper refused. She'll show the rich kids just because you're rich doesn't mean you own the world.

"Can't you choose something more appropriate?" Jane gave her a once over and made a dismissive sound at the back of her throat at Piper's uncombed hair, scruffy jeans and snowboarding jacket.

"Not if it makes your job any easier," responded Piper cheekily and Jane narrowed her placid eyes.

Two figures waited for her at the front steps of the school and Jane led her sulkily through the courtyard. Some of the blonde girls cladded in clothes perfect for the slut territory pointed at her and whispered, eyes widened as they recognized her as Piper Mclean, the daughter of Tristan Mclean, the one newspapers had been telling everyone how she so epically barreled into the department store with expensive wheels.

One of the figure was an administrator officer, her buttoned top and pencil skirt was obvious, and the other was a student, Lanky, athletic and blonde with a diamond face and startling grey eyes, the blonde wore a grey top and jeans, surprisingly casual for a girl who had the money to attend the school.

The officer was a kind, rather plain looking woman with mousy brown hair and kindred brown eyes, "Are you Piper Mclean?"

"Yeah," Piper put down her suitcase and shook the extended hand the officer held out. "That's me,"

"I'm Miss Hestia, from the reception and this is Annabeth."

The blonde girl- or Piper assumed she was Annabeth- smiled but it was a faint smile, the type you put on when you're being polite but at the same time unsure. "Hi."

Annabeth's tone was light and easy. The grey eyes were calculating, like if you stare in it long enough you'll get dizzy. Her dad had once told her you can usually summed up a person by looking at their eyes. Annabeth's eyes were hardened, guarded, wise and smart. She seemed like a smart person, despite the golden shade of blonde she had for hair.

"She'll be one of your dorm mates and she'll be showing around you where to go."

"So she'll be like my guardian angel for the day?" Miss Hestia nodded and Annabeth's smile grew wider, becoming more genuine at Piper's sorry endeavours to relieve the awkward tension.

"Yes," said Miss Hestia thoughtfully, "see it however you want it to. Well, I have mountain more of new students to greet so I'll leave you to it." Miss Hestia beamed at me and beckoned Annabeth with a nod, then left in a frantic, fretting pace towards two others.

Piper looked up to the school and a funny feeling buried itself into her stomach. She can't help but mused, wondering if this was finally the school for her. One where she wouldn't be kicked out and had to deal with her father sad, disappointed looks again. One where she didn't have tabloids and rumours circulating on the horrid lie that she was illiterate and dumb (it nearly happened).

Annabeth and Piper stood facing each other and Annabeth reached out to help her with the luggages, a gesture Piper wasn't expecting. "So," an impish grin formed at the blonde's lips. "Let's get you to your dorm and meet your new room mates."

* * *

**So guess who's the idiot who is studying for finals, doing NaNoWriMo and two OTHER fanfictions AND writing her book at the same time? Did I mention my list of homework too? It's a miracle I'm not dead yet nor have I collapsed from self-inflicted stress. So what did you guys think? I know the beginning is like SA: The Gorgeous One but it'll be completely different. No psycho killer. Just teen drama- or in our cases FUN. We like seeing our favourite characters suffer. You guys KNOW me. I can rock your OTP world or possibly destroy it.**

**I find destroying it a hell lot more fun. But I'm not that mean. **

**My writing improved- I think. Much better than the first few Songbird Academy chapters, don't 'cha think? **

**Reviews are better than chocolate. I'm unsure whether I should continue this or not. So just review, 'kay?**

**Winks, **

**-Savvy**


	2. Great Expectations

**Do not own what I don't own. I think you guys get my drift.**

Chapter 2

Great Expectations

or

"Daddy's Little Boy"

Reyna Bellum's lips were soft. Cautious, peaceful, timeless, Jason forced himself to close his eyes- he felt obligated to. Should he close his eyes? Were her eyes closed? Shall he take a peek? Suddenly Reyna backed away languidly and smiled, he opened his eyes once the feel of her taut lips had left his.

"I love you," she said, her large brown wides looked almost dilated so close to him. He froze, he didn't know if he could say it back. Three freaking syllables, three simple words. He definitely liked Reyna. They had been best of friends since childhood and Reyna was the perfect girlfriend, as she was as a friend. Her kisses were gentle, but strong in passion, she challenged him and molded him into a better person everyday, she was smart and beautiful with her long mane of dark hair, olive skin and fierce eyes. They worked well together as friends, lovers and partners in crime. His delicate nobility complimented her regal ferocity. Together they'll be the perfect power couple. Just like everyone expected.

"Um…" He tried to say, he didn't want to hurt her. "I can't say it back, I'm sorry. I'm just not ready. We've been dating for what? Two weeks?"

"A month," corrected Reyna.

"Right, but still. I mean, I really like you-"

"Aw!" interrupted their crew of friends as Jason attempted not to sound stupid and hurt appeared in Reyna's eyes but was replaced with a quick gleam of understanding.

His group of friends included his friends from around his dorm area, his roommates were Leo Valdez, who was Jason's best friend, Frank Zhang, a boy who arrived last year and Jason came to acknowledge him as a good friend to cover his back, Dakota- whom he had known forever and Larry, a childhood friend of his. Hazel, Gwen and Reyna were the inseparable three and they share a dorm with two other dorm mates whom Jason didn't really know. This was his crew. They had been like this since the ninth grade. It's hard to believe that was two years ago, and now they were all juniors. It just seemed like yesterday when Leo exploded into his dorm, covered in whip cream (long story).

"You guys are so cute together," squealed Gwen, hugging both of them and Jason swore his ears were deafened by the sharp sound that emanated from Gwen's lips. "Say, Reyna, if you ever get married will I be your bridesmaid?"

Reyna wasn't as amused. "No Gwen, you may not."

Leo, Jason's best friend, laughed. "Oh lighten up, Ray-Ban!" Reyna looked ready to murder Leo whose sunny smile faded a bit but a smirk quickly materialized back on his face. "Jeez, aren't you a ray of sunshine? Get it? Ray of sunshine? Ray-ban? Reyna?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Leo, you have three seconds to run before she kills you."

"Nah," Leo blew raspberry at Reyna, who shot him daggers. "She loves me too much."

"Yeah, anymore and I'll show you how much my fist love your face." Leo wisely shut up and the rest cracked smiles.

"So what did you two do for the summer?" asked Larry as they walked along the school courtyard, dragging their luggages behind their backs.

Neither Jason nor Reyna had the chance to answer him as a lanky, dark-haired girl came up to him, seething. Jason arched an eyebrow.

"Thals, are you okay?"

"Our father," began his sister, her electric blue eyes really empathising the term of "electric", "is the most intolerable, stick in the ass dad a child can ever bear the thought of having!"

"Let me guess, he cut off your cell phone privileges again."

"Not only did he took my phone but he took away my Green Day tickets. It was forever to get those tickets and he just takes it away!" ranted the girl, she fumed for a second, muttering strings of languages not appropriate for younger audiences before recomposing herself into a more controlled tone, "By the way, dad wants us. Something about politics, again."

"Oh okay," He turned to his friends and Reyna, "Dad's calling and if I don't go, he-"

"Yeah, he'll fry your balls." Leo finished for him, "We heard."

He pecked Reyna's faultlessly smooth olive skin and Gwen cooed, "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, you go." Reyna's dry smile was just what he needed to lessen his nerves. "Oh and, Sparky, don't be late for orientation. I don't want to look like a fool for greeting all those new students."

He grinned. "'Kay," and follows Thalia out of the school courtyard and into the black Mercedes his dad had waiting for him.

The car went straight into Downtown traffic, and he sighed, missing his home in San Francisco. At least San Francisco had some terms of smooth riding, in New York it was always traffic, traffic, traffic. His sister made the chauffeur raised the volume of the CD she was jamming to- Three Days Grace or something.

His heart pounded. He wondered what his father summon him for- was he in trouble or was he in for a reward? And normally, when his father wanted to see him it meant trouble.

Zeus Grace was the recent Mayor of New York and he hardly has time for his children. For such a powerful man, Jason sometimes felt intimidated by the expectations. His father was the goddamn Mayor, he needed to run for congressmen and be involved in complicated politics. His sister didn't want any of that and being the oldest, normally it would've been Thalia to be granted the highest honour of being a politician and maybe running for Mayor in thirty years, but Thalia made it clear she didn't want it. So his dad practically enforced the life of rules and regulations on him- he was perfectly able to afford anything he liked, he could do whatever he want, have any girl he pursued, live a debaucherous life of champagne and tailored suits on the verboten terms of speak unless spoken to, don't do anything reckless that can butcher your father's image, attend the right schools and universities, deal with the constant paparazzi obsess with scoping a possible, scandalous affair in the Grace household and achieve the right grades. It felt like everyone's breathing on him to choose the life of debate and leadership when all he wants to do is do something for himself, learn the world, live a simple life without the expectations and the irritatingly stiff trousers.

Being the Mayor of New York son, he had to remain a business-like, rigid and stoic demeanour, which is why he was so perfect for Reyna. He wasn't necessarily stoic but he wasn't like Leo who bounced off the walls like he lived on coffee- if coffee was a drug, Leo would be the most stoned guy in the world. He wasn't like Dakota and Larry who were the pranksters of the group and were constantly neck and neck with the Stoll brothers- another pair of notorious troublemakers that give dear old Principal Brunner a headache. He wasn't one to talk about his feelings. He had to be the Mayor's son who puts others first to show the kindred spirit the Mayor of New York has raised him to be. He can't- for a split second- think of things for himself.

Reyna was perfect for him. His father expected him to wed her but he can't imagine waiting for the end of the aisle for Reyna. It felt like a stupid arranged marriage. Reyna had been his friends for years and always will be. It's awkward as a couple, uncomfortable because they're so used to friendly terms that they're not even remotely sexually attracted to each other. Reyna's smart, political, lawful, strong and fierce- every quality she owned was what Jason admired the most about her. She might not be the sweetest but she's definitely the strongest so why can't he think of Reyna in more than a friend? She's literally made for him. And that's why he can't think of her than more of a friend. It feels as if Reyna and Jason to be a couple was planned, manufactured by some evil inhumane law of the universe. Reyna and Jason were predictable, expected to happen because they're friends since kindergarten, because they're similar and their parents get along well. Everyone knows it.

"We have arrived, Mister Grace." The chauffeur announced, interrupting his thoughts and he nodded, not even bothered to correct the chauffeur on calling him by first name.

Together the two Grace siblings slid out of the car and onto the dirty pavement, both with their own worries in their minds.

The building that stood in front of them is the Mayor's Headquarters, regal and shiny like an untouched, perfect little lego piece that belongs to the Metropolitan set. The windows are tinted black, but to a tourist who stands far enough it seems see-through. It's an example of human accomplishment- a whopping 60 floor skyscraper with a metallic spire on the top

.

The receptionist waved breathlessly as he and his sister walked by and the other workers of his father's commission bowed their heads and greeted them respectfully like peasants in the presence of their Lord.

After a hostile ride in the elevator, all the way to the top floor, Thalia finally broke the silence. "You think he's mad?" Let's hope he's not, Jason prayed silently, or not God help him.

The graceful foyer of the headquarters can take any sturdy man's breath away. Grecian columns, golden-tiled dome with fat baby cherubs pointing their arrows upwards, marble-panelled floor and European handmaidens ready to attend to their needs. A crystal chandelier was hung on the ceiling, as if threatening to impale them in diamond shards any second.

A woman in a crisp blouse and pencil skirt approached the two Grace siblings with a very fastidious manner, "Mr Grace is ready for you, sir and madam."

"The name's Thalia," remarked his sister haughtily. "And my brother's Jason, get that Chastity?"

"Would you care for strawberries, madam?"

"Never mind." said Jason, pulling his sister away. "Dad's ready for us."

The two imperial gold doors open by the two servants and they entered through His Countenance Office.

The Office was unlike any office seen. It had twelve seats for his father and the eleven other members of the Olympus Industries, the company his father set up. His father has settled his powerful arse on the most expansive chair, nodding to something his wife, Mrs Hera Grace, was saying.

Zeus Grace was an intimidating man. He looked as if he was Jesus Christ with his grey beard, ready to strike you down with a lightning bolt or something.

Cold, electric blue orbs Jason inherited from him, and Thalia's the one who mostly resembled his father with the black hair and the similar Mediterranean features, pointed and narrowed. The rest he took after his mother, no not Mrs Hera Grace, but the other few hundred divorcees his dad has got bored with. His mother was Sylvia Grace, a famous movie star who's in and out of rehab and on her good days she's only semi-drunk and complaining about the weather. However on her bad days, it's' everything in his power to stop her from mixing her pills with her vodka.

"Everybody out." His father thundered and every chair except for the one his father was sitting on scraped against the marble floor and started to file out, "It's time for me to discuss matters with my children."

Once the door was closed by the servants and everyone's out, their dad stood up and smile. Not a big wide-toothed smile but a smile nonetheless. Needless to say, his father's happy. No one was going to die.

"Jason, my son and heir," Thalia cleared her throat and glared. "Thalia, my wonderful daughter, the polls have went up in my favour!"

"That's great," Thalia interrupted, "Anything else, or did you just brought us here to gloat?"

"I'm here to discuss your future."

"And what have come to your decisions, Father?" Jason stood regally, he couldn't stop fidgeting with the buttons of his tailored blazer, and his attention span was wavering out of control.

"Jason, as you know your sister has resigned her heirship to you-"

"Something which I have done gladly," pointed out his sister, quite happy to avoid the responsibility of the politics and ownership of Olympus Industries. She has said to him life like that is boring and bleak, it'll guarantee you success but what's success without happiness? She wanted a life of rock and roll, and pursuing the lifestyle of a rockstar. Sometimes he wished he can be like his sister, she she was rebellious and not the best daughter but at least she knew what she wanted and what she needed. He didn't have a clue. What does he want? He had everything. Is there anything else that he need? He had it all- the perfect girlfriend, a very promising future...but you're unhappy, aren't you? The devil of a little voice asked him in the back of his mind.

Zeus glower at Thalia, who inspected her black painted nails, unfazed by Zeus Grace's legendary glares, personally because she was the reason why Zeus Grace's legendary glares were so legendary in the first place. "As I was saying, Jason you are now completely in charge of the Grace Household, which means we need to start talking about college and career paths."

Jason nodded. This is expected. He's sixteen, almost seventeen- it's only logical that they were talking about this now. He need to know, in some form of reassurance, that he has an idea of where he's going. He just wished what the options on the plate wasn't so narrow. "I understand, Father."

"When I'm old and senile, you'll be expected to shoulder on the responsibilities. You'll lead Olympus Industries to the peak of it's career and it'll be bigger than you. Everyone will be watching you, trying to decide if the son is raised right. And I raised you right, didn't I? I give you the education, the money, now make it happen. Make me proud, Jason. The universities we'll be looking at are Ivy League- nothing less, or not they'll talk. Everyone talks, Jason. This is where you have to be careful. I build your foundation. Now build me the empire."

Jason couldn't speak, or he didn't trust himself to. "Can you do that, Jason?" His father asked, turning his back to face the Manhattan skyline, smiling as if he's imagining he owned everything and everyone. "As my only son and heir, you're expected to lead."

"I understand, Father."

"Good. You're my correspondence and we're thinking about Princeton or Harvard, and you'll be going to these without no questions asked, understood?"

He did so he nodded, his shoulders felt heavier now. "Get out. I have a conference in two minutes and your mother is being a pain in the neck."

They exited with a formal, customary bow and once they were out, Thalia folded her arms and Jason sighed. Neither of those universities sound appealing to him- he wanted something worldly and different, not another school of stuck ups and stick-in-the-arse goons. His dad wanted him to go for an early acceptance into university, graduate as early as he could with high honors and then go straight into politics- no backpacking trip, no spring break. Just work, work, work.

The driver drove them back to the campus and Orientation has begun. As Junior Head Boy (along with Reyna as Junior Head Girl), he had to quickly weaved his way over to the front to greet the new students.

"You're late, Sparky," chided Reyna, arms crossed, expression hardened, "Seriously, as the newly appointed Head Boy, I expect some form of punctuality."

"My dad and midtown traffic-"

"It's okay," Reyna said with a hint of a grin at her lips. "Now you take over and I'll go catch up with Gwen and Hazel, 'kay?"

She ducked out of the way before Jason can throw his shoe at her. Shaking his head, he smiled at the mousy boy in front of him. "Welcome to Goode Academy."

He scurried away before Jason can officially launched into a speech of how brilliant the school is when a girl came forward with a blonde. The blonde, he recognize, was Annabeth Chase, a distantly vague good friend and the Senior Head Girl, she had a young brunette with scruffy clothes and a scowl on her face.

The brunette was pretty, no, she was quite beautiful. Persimmon pink lips, choppy unruly hair and cocoa skin, but her eyes stole the show. Like a swirling, perpetual vortex of colours, a kaleidoscope of stained glasses. She stared at him harshly, dismissing him as a preppy, typically Abercrombie&Fitch boy, or maybe he got the wrong impression. "Hello," He greeted regally, "Welcome to Goode. I'm Jason Grace, the Junior Head Boy."

She didn't smile. She actually seemed quite cross to be here._ Well, we don't want you here either._ Honestly, who was this girl? "I'm Piper," She said, her pink lips enunciating each word in her melodious, clear voice which he found to be rather lovely and condescending at the same time. "Piper Mclean."

* * *

**AW...Young love. They don't really like fall in love with each other on first sight. It's not Romeo and Juliet. So what do you think? Is Jason IC? I know he's a bit serious and Roman-ish here but then again this is before he meet Piper or any of the Greek and considering his background, it make sense- I hope. **

**Anyway, review. Please.**

**-Savvy.**


	3. The Life and Times

**Do not own what I don't own. I think you guys get my drift.**

Chapter 3

The Life and Times

or

"The Story of Us"

Annabeth watched the exchange between Jason Grace- a colleague of hers, and the new girl, Piper Mclean. It was tense, to say the least. They seemed to sized each other as they established some semblance of eye contact and Jason's handshake was so damn formal, so damn Head Boy-ish, she had to laugh.

"Come on," she ushered Piper over to the desks set out over the entire auditorium.

She didn't know what to make of her, Piper didn't really had an impression on her at all but she's nicer than Annabeth thought she would be. She knew very little of Piper Mclean from the debacles and scandals of shoplifting and thievery in the magazines and she had a really good-looking Dad, like one of those middle-age dads you wouldn't mind doing some unspeakable things to.

"What are the little desks for?"

"They're the different curriculums and activities. We'll get your schedule and let you choose your extracurricular, then we'll to the dorm to settle."

She nodded and scanned the auditorium, which is a large, tall, resonating hall with cream, sterile white walls and diamond paned glass roofs, a carpeted stage in the front and a speech podium on the stage. For orientation, the auditorium had rows of desks on the sides for the new students to see the categories of the curriculum and meet with the teachers. She saw Percy Jackson, a guy who she spent tutoring over the summer, and a guy she never really noticed until she helped bump his grades up, and that he was one of the few people who can make her laugh. His sea green eyes sparkled in impish mischief as a black-haired woman with a beautiful kind face said something that made the boy laugh. Their eyes met and he waved merrily at her, she return that wave and smiled before reverting her attention to Piper, who was staring at everything in a wondering daze. She spot a table of confectionary collection of tea and cookies was on the right, and Annabeth asked Piper if she wanted a cupcake.

Shrugging, she said, "Yeah, it couldn't hurt."

As they strode over to that table, she felt two hands wrap around her abdomen and a voice in her ear, hot breath tickling, "Guess who?"

"I know it's you Luke." She rolled her eyes and pecked him on the cheeks as she whirled around to face her boyfriend, a muscular figure of blond hair and blue eyes. He leaned over to cup her face and gave her a kiss on her lips, she returned the kiss with wide eyes while Piper looked away, humming an unknown tune. "What was that for?"

"I love you."

"What do you want?"

"Can't I just say Iove you?"

"Not unless you want something," said Annabeth assertively, tucking in her wayward strands of blonde hair before remembering Piper was still there, standing awkwardly. "Um, I'm being really rude. Luke- this is Piper."

Luke flashed her a dazzling smile, and normally, girls would melt at Luke's dazzling smile but Piper seemed unimpressed, instead she smiled back. "Hi, nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to be of your acquaintance. Would you mind if I borrow my girlfriend of you for a second?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"Thanks," Luke led her over to an empty corner and she gazed into those blue eyes she once fell in love with. She loved Luke. She liked him very much- it's just the fire they once had seemed to have died over the summer. What is there not to like about Luke Castellan? Blue eyes, sandy hair, adorable dimples and that smile...it's just she wasn't as obsessed over him as she was back then.

She love someone else.

And that settled in the back of her mind.

"I got you something."

She arched her eyebrows. "A present? You got me one for my birthday in July-"

"Not a birthday present." His hand slipped into his pocket and he took out a red velvet box, small enough to be like a necklace or a very expensive bracelet. Her neck twitched, she didn't mind jewellry but Luke should've known she didn't care much for girly things. He propped open the box and it revealed a fancy, glimmering card with the words on the corner of the card along with a hotel logo: Plaza Hotel & Residences.

"You're giving me a hotel room?"

"No, it's for the Christmas ball. You said you want it to be special so I thought a night at the Plaza Hotel would be romantic."

Oh. I knew it. Ever since they've been going out (since last semester, she remembered with clarity, she was the one who fearfully approached him while he was reading a book in the library and she recalled it being a Faulkner, it was the fifteenth of January and her cheeks were tinged with pink from the snow), it was sort of the inevitable 'sealing the deal' part of the relationship they haven't really discuss. Annabeth hugged her chest, suddenly uncomfortable, she didn't think she was being a prude for waiting- despite what Drew Tanaka thought. She just wanted to be smart and not on those reality MTV shows of being a teen mom. She really want to do it with someone worthwhile. She bit the corner of her lips, "I don't know- I would like to wait."

The smile on Luke's face fell, "It's fine," The tone was Arctic, colder than ice, "I get it." He put the box back into his pockets and turned to leave, abandoning her at the side.

"Luke, wait!" But he was already gone.

Piper was sitting on a bench, licking her fingers of cream and cupcake batter off, and saw Annabeth's forlorn face. "What happened?"

Annabeth didn't want to tell her- firstly, she barely knew Piper and second, it was her virginity that was the matter. It wasn't any of Piper's business. "It's nothing,"

Piper recoiled, "Okay," The whatever was implied.

"Come on, you should sign up for something."

Piper rubbed her arms and scowled at the floor, "I don't know what, I mean- I just really don't know what to sign up for."

"Are you like your dad, you know, good at acting? I saw you in that iPhone commercial and it was really good."

Her cheeks coloured, and her eyes lingered longingly over to a desk where the drama production sign-up sheets were kept. "I'll just take a brochure," She moved in a flighty light, as if afraid of being caught red-handed with taking it.

Annabeth smiled slightly; at least it was better than nothing. "Now let's go see your cabin."

* * *

"So _you're_ that bratty movie star kid who smash a car into a department store," Thalia stated bluntly as Annabeth helped Piper plod her luggages onto one of the few beds in Dorm 396.

"Urm…" trailed off Piper, not really sure how to respond.

"Dude, I totally respect you for doing that." grinned Thalia, "I mean, sure the wreckage is about like 3 billion and everything, but it was worth it right?"

"A valiant attempt at niceness," applauded the redhead in the corner, who is folding her clothes into her treasure chest in front of her four poster bed. "Ignore her, I'm Rachel."

Piper smiled slightly, "As you know I'm Piper."

Piper sat on the corner of her bed and folded her legs, "Piper, shoes off please." ordered Annabeth, looking at the torned basketball shoes perched on the brunette's feet.

"Oh sorry," Piper quickly wiggled the shoes out of her feet and dumped them on the floor.

"Annie, give the girl a break. She's new."

Annabeth scowled, "Don't call me that."

Thalia smirked, her cat-eyeliner eyes emphasizing the evilly smug look she had going on, "All the more reasons to call you that."

"I hate you."

Piper observed the friendly banter from a standpoint at the foot of the bed as she started unpacking her clothes into the empty drawers and cabinets. Everyone wasn't as snotty as she thought they would be- well, except that Jason kid, seriously he was _sixteen_, who the hell handshakes at sixteen? Apparently good-looking blond guys with a stiffer posture than the Madame at the previous All Girls Finishing school her dad forced her to attend.

Not that she thought the blond Head Boy was good looking.

Annabeth went over to the bed in the middle, which Piper presumed was hers because it was also the only bed neat and tidy with the corners folded evenly and wrinkles smoothed out. She glanced at her dorm mates, Rachel was organizing her art portfolios, wondering if she should categorize it according to artists or period of time, Thalia blared her rock music, not giving a flying shit over the fact that Annabeth's screaming at her to keep it down and poor, poor Annabeth- she's trying to keep everything for exploding into chaos with no such avail.

Piper fetch out a fresh pair of jeans and a L.A Lakers t-shirt and turn towards her dorm mates, "Um," Piper awkwardly interrupted and three pair of eyes fixed onto her, "Where are the showers?"

Annabeth blinked, "Oh right! The showers are by the common room, you'll see it."

Shooting her a brief, curt smile and a little "Thanks", Piper scurried out the room and shut the door behind her. Once she left, Annabeth fell onto the heap of her bed and contemplate about Luke's short but not very sweet arrival.

"Guys," she asked hesitantly. "Can I talk to you guys about something?"

Thalia pressed the negative symbol of her iPod dock but the music was still loud enough to be the US Navy's signal horn. "Shoot."

"How do you tell a guy 'no' without hurting them?"

"Just say no." Rachel shrugged, spread against her bed. "Wait, saying 'no' to what?"

"Is Luke pressuring about sex?" demanded Thalia and Annabeth knew it would be too weird discussing it with them, especially with Thalia. Thalia, who was also infatuated with Luke last year but got declined and Thalia, who was Captain of the Celibacy club.

Annabeth hated this. This entire relationship-sex conversation was frustrating and irritatingly confusing and she didn't like being confuse. She wanted to keep her virginity until she reached college, thank you very much- she had morals and ground rules. She wanted to wait but she also wanted to keep Luke, to sustain whatever's left of the dying relationship.

* * *

The sound of trickling water always reminded Piper of a lake in Oklahoma her dad used to take her to or it reminded her of peeing.

The warmth was amazing, and the pressure rained down on her back as she stared at the swirling water going into the drain and the remaining of her cinnamon-scented shampoo from the pharmacy just across the street of the house. She twisted the knob of the shower and the water was instantly off. Wrapping a towel around her small frame, she flung open the drapes that protected the others girl from seeing her naked and stepped out of the numerous cubicle.

Her clothes were folded on one of the benches near the mirrors but when she went over to change it was gone. "What the hell?" Her throat tightened in panic. Maybe she just misplaced it- or worse, someone thought her clothes were theirs and took them. She could walk back to her dorm with a towel but that would mean boys staring and teachers staring as she scurried over to her dorm, leaving a trail of water behind her.

She wasn't self-deprecating enough to put her through that sort of humiliation.

"Hey Boobless," drawled a voice, "Looking for these?"

She whirled around and saw a camaraderie of girls standing by the changing lockers. Two of the girls besides the one who spoke held her Lakers jersey and her jeans, her face grew red when she saw the Asian girl who spoke had her embarrassing polka-dots undies and bra around her finger. "Those are mine!"

The pretty Asian girl smirked. "Don't you think we know, Boobless Dwarf?"

"I have boobs!" She said furiously, and once she had the full realization of how wrong and strange that sounded, she quickly rebuked, "Give my clothes back to me."

"Have mommy dearest ever taught you manners or are you always this rude?"

"I'll show you rude when I come over to punch you if you don't give me my clothes back!"

"Is there a problem?" The door of the girls' showers swung open and in came Annabeth and Thalia.

The Asian girl scowled at the new arrivals, clearly not as elated as Piper was to see them. "None of your business, virgin or if I dare say virgin_s_."

"Hey, at least I have more dignity than you, slut!" shot Thalia, her fists balling.

"Thals, it's not worth it." Annabeth's approach was diplomatic, unlike Thalia who excelled in diplomacy but resorted to kicking someone's balls out instead. But even though Annabeth's tone was leveled and more calm than Piper or Thalia, her eyes burned a thousand suns. "Drew, please give Piper her clothes back or I'll report you to the Heads office."

Reluctantly Drew threw Piper her clothes, "Fine, this time you win because of Virgin 1 and 2 but next time I'll get you Boobless."

With one caustic, menacing glare, Drew and her clique walked out of the showers, the sound of their high heels clicking against the floor.

* * *

The pillow, Piper decided, has to be the worst pillows in the history of worst pillows. It's hard and not the least bit soft. Thalia's loud snores resonated and bounced across the floor, making it ten times harder to fall asleep. It's incredibly stuffy in the white, thick sheets of the bed and humid even though it was September. In fucking New York.

It was so hot that Piper had to changed into a pair of boy shorts and an old t-shirt before crawling back into her bed without bothering to cover her body with the blankets.

It was a decision she found herself regretting when she felt a group of giggling girls hoisted from her bed and was carrying her to somewhere unknown. Vision groggy and sleep-inducing fatigue cloaked her vision and darkness was everywhere but the girls who were lifting the holy hell out of her seemed unaffected. "Where are you taking me?" She didn't care if it came out shrill and flighty, she didn't know, bottom line, what the hell was going on right now.

She thrashed about, and their thin hands tightened around her limbs and held her adjacently, "Let me go!" She screamed but a hand immediately clamped her mouth and all she could make was a bunch of muffled pleads.

"Shut the _fuck_ up," snarled a voice, and unmistakably familiar one. It was throaty and smug like that Asian girl in the showers that evening. _Drew_, her worst suspicions confirmed, _the bitch is going to kill me._

She felt her body suddenly pushed upwards and she can't tell they were climbing up a flight of stairs. After a few scuffling moments, and a burst of fresh air surrounded her along with a cacophony of traffic noises. _Where am I? Where? Where? Where?_

"Put her down," ordered another voice and Piper stiffened. It was Thalia. No, it can't be. Could it?

Piper was thinking about a million humiliations she can suffer through this: Piper Mclean, daughter of famous movie star, Tristan Mclean, exposed and half-naked on what seemed to be the school roof. No autographs please.

They lowered her down onto the ground and she instantly reacted when she saw a group of black-cloaked girls standing in front of her. They all had BB water guns and brightly coloured balloons in their hands. _Wait..no...what?_

Suddenly as she started to shakily stand up to face them, a horde of water balloons and jets of sprayed water come flying her way, bombarding her. She couldn't speak or yell at them to stop because every time she tried to open her mouth, she'll gargled with water balloons. "Stop!" Water balloon to the face. "Please!" A squirt of water on her legs. "Gah!"

At some point, she stopped fighting and just let them treat her like target practice. After they were out of balloons and fresh out of water in their guns, Rachel took out her hoodie obscuring her face, revealing her grinning face. "That was fun."

"What?" shivered Piper on the windy rooftop of Goode Academy in just soaking shorts and t-shirt. "Scaring me shitless? Well glad to know my demise cause you amusement."

"Relax, Piper," said Annabeth, who looked a blonde Lara Croft with her water gun. "It was tradition."

She realized, right then, it was a massively large group of people in front of her- like the entire East Wing was there. Her face seared with embarrassment as she placed her arms around her chest to hide her wet see-through shirt away from giving the boys a peek-show to her apparently 'boobless' chest.

"It's what we do when we have a new kid, dwarf," Drew rolled her eyes, "You survived the Initiation Process. Well, mostly."

"What's the Initiation?"

Thalia contemplated, "It's Goode Academy Tradition. You see, the school is split into two groups, right? East and West?"

Piper nodded.

"Yeah, right, we're the East and we get along with the West. Sort of and on the last term, it's the Pranking Term."

"What?"

"It's the term when it's full out prank war, Pipes." input Rachel, "East vs West and you have to be watching your every move because you can be just opening your locker and boom! Face full of whip cream. Our school goes all out for this- and even the teachers join in. It's a competition for who's the best pranking side and at the end of the year whoever manages to pull the biggest prank wins."

"Okay," Piper digested the information slowly, "But that doesn't explain why you attack me in the middle of the night!"

"We have to make sure you can handle being pranked by the other side well enough," Annabeth told her, "There's this one time when this girl got pranked so hard by the West she collapsed into an epileptic fit so we have to ensure that doesn't happen again. Got it?"

"Yeah," Piper said, "Can I please go back to sleep now?"

"'Course we can." Annabeth, Thalia and Rachel led her down the fire escape that adjoins the rooftop to the school and into the dorm.

The others fell into bed almost immediately while she had to strip out of her wet clothes. Falling onto her bed, she smiled to herself. Despite the heart attack she received during the prank, it was fun- demonic crazy fun. Goode Academy was definitely what she wasn't expecting and it's much different than any other private schools she had ever attended. Curling up under the sheets of her new bed, she finally found comfort in sleeping in it. Closing her eyes, she thought, maybe, just maybe this might not be such a hellhole after all.

* * *

**HI...I'm here and ready to roll. Next chap will be Reyna and Jason and the OFFICIAL meeting of Jasper. Beware they will not like each other at first sight. Piper thinks Jason's a stuck-up and Jason thinks Piper's a selfish brat. Pride and Prejudice at it's finest.  
**

**What would you do if you were in Piper's situation? I would've been like her, you know, freak the hell out. **

**Reviews are like chocolate in Belgium.  
**

**-Queen**


	4. Sticks and Stones

**Do not own what I don't own. I think you guys get my drift.**

Chapter 4

Sticks and Stones

or

"Rumors and Heartbreak"

If there's anything Reyna Bellum hated more than stupid people it was first days of school.

They're always so chaotic. Everyone's in a festive (or not) array to get to their classes, squeal in exceptionally loud voices when they meet their friends (seriously, Reyna thought with disapproval, you see each other every day) and she's having trouble with Octavian, who's at her heels with Head Boy propaganda and unnecessary opinions for the school's court she wished he stuck up his asshole.

"I have schedules," She proclaimed, entering the West's wing common room with the aforementioned schedules in hand.

"What a bitch," moaned Leo Valdez, rolling back and forth on the luxurious couch and clicking mindlessly on the TV remote, starting the day with this amount of productivity to move out of the bloody velvet couch. Her boyfriend was sprawled over the armchair, albeit not as lazily as Leo was but still.

"Excuse me?" demanded the fierce brunette, arms crossed and a look in the eye that scared the absolute crap out of her boyfriend. "I just went down all the way to the reception to get these for you because you can't be bothered with a simple walk down the stairs and you-" She rounded on her boyfriend with a prominent scowl, "- aren't you supposed to be the one who leads all the new students to the breakfast area so they won't be hungry or lost?"

A look of realization dawned on his face. "Shit!" He grabbed his jumper and sprint down the stairs yelling, "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes. Only Jason would forget something like that. She turned back to Leo, still scowling.

"Don't go all piss-y at me like you did with Jase." protested the other, "And I wasn't calling you a bitch, I'm just irritated for the shitload of things we had today," He grumpily pointed to the schedule in his hands and she peered at it over his shoulder.

"That's not your schedule. That's for Frank."

"Oh! This one is mine? Yes! No stupid advance Mandarin."

She shook her head. "How you manage to come up with an original thought is beyond me, and first of all, how do you even come up with the assumption Frank's schedule is yours? The Advance Mandarin was more than a hint, it was a slap in the face."

Leo shrugged as if it justified everything."I was distracted by the funny misplaced comma over here."

"Never mind I asked," she sighed and saw Hazel and Gwen entering the West Common room with books and bags in tow, "Breakfast?"

"Yeah, or not what will we eat?" Hazel's golden eyes gleamed.

"Sorry, stupid question," She strode over to the door and Leo followed behind them.

"I wonder what's for breakfast," Leo's stomach growled, reminding her how hungry she was because she skipped dinner last night re-doing the seating chart for this weekend's assembly. "I sure hope it's bacon." She did so too.

"I hope to God it's not," Gwen groaned, clutching her thin waist line and looking down her figure like it's a disappointment. Reyna didn't know how Gwen can be so unhappy with herself when Reyna wished she was as tall, slender and beautiful as the blonde was. "Do you know how many carbs are in bacon? I could die from all that radiation!"

Hazel and Reyna looked at Gwen critically, "Bacon don't have radiation."

"I don't give a shit what it has. The point is bacon is oil and carbs and I'm on a no carb diet!"

Leo munched on a chocolate bar, "You poor, poor soul, you have no sense of life."

Gwen shot Leo a glare so powerful, Reyna could've sworn Medusa wanted her withering stare back but that's what he get for being so desensitized in front of Gwen. As they traveled down the steps to the Eating Hall, Reyna's guts twisted when she saw Jason over at the corner, indulging into what seemed to be indeed bacon. He didn't even glance at her as she strode over and somehow she can feel what's little of their love was decaying as time go by.

"Hey," she greeted, sitting next to him and curled her fingers around his.

"Hi."

Driven by complete impulse, she kissed him hard on his lips as he was reaching for his orange juice and he was completely caught off-guard before he kissed her back but she can tell it was hesitant, forced.

"Wow," He said, laughing as he backed away. "The cute factor has gone up the scale."

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes and he slipped away to a conversation he was having with Leo and Larry.

Deflating into her bowl of cereal, she stared at the floating cereal in her milk, Gwen was talking about something that caught her attention: "You know, Tristan Mclean's daughter just arrived yesterday?"

"Oh yeah," nodded Jason, "I saw her yesterday. She's…"

"Unpleasant? Bratty?" Leo threw in, "Any of those adjectives to define her?"

"...moody." He finished. "I don't know. I don't know her."

"Wasn't she that girl who backpedaled a convertible into a department store?" Reyna spooned her yogurt in a swirl before putting it into her mouth.

"Bingo, Ray-Bans."

"Call me that and this spoon goes on your face," she said irritably.

"I heard," gossiped Gwen animatedly, brandishing the celery stick like a pen,"that she's bunking with Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace and Rachel Dare. Wonder what she's like, I mean, she can't be that stuck up in real life, right?"

The question was unanswered and an awkward silence, and then: "So any Pranking Term ideas yet, people?" Dakota spurred a conversation she knew all the boys (and some girls) would be raring to start.

"We need to get those bastards back." Larry started immediately and everyone nodded in agreement, even Reyna, who usually was affirmatively against pranking or anything that creates havoc in the school. But this was a special case because last year, they flooded both the boy and girls public shower rooms with Kool-Aid and it had left everything sticky and it took weeks to get rid of the remaining Kool-Aid. Of course, it was hilarious (everyone was talking about it) and they had to admit that the East won last year's round, but it wasn't funny how every time she twisted the knobs of the shower, Kool-Aid became her shampoo.

"Agreed," Leo thumped the table excitedly, "It's Retaliation time and it has to be big. My ass is still sticky from bathing in cherry Kool-Aid."

"Which actually isn't that bad," added Dakota and everyone shot him the evil eye.

"Dakota," Hazel said pensively, "Only you enjoy showering in Kool-Aid and that doesn't justify the situation, instead it make you seem more of a creep with an obsession for Kool-Aid."

"I'm not a creep!"

"Hmm...your definition of fun times say otherwise," Gwendolyn Masters said haughtily, flipping her blonde hair behind her back.

"Have you looked in a dictionary? There are always more than one definitions."

"Shut up." Reyna ordered, intervening before a heated argument can break out. "Come on, we have classes and we need to finish breakfast if we don't want to be late."

"Reyna's right," supported Jason, finishing the last of his bacon, and went without even uttering goodbye.

She didn't know what to do with Jason and she always know what to do. It's just new towards her- learning how to love, to kiss, to be patient with one another. It was terrifying and different but it gave her a sense of warmth that she never ever received. And she felt as if she ruined everything by uttering three stupid words yesterday- I love you. It was the spur of the moment, completely unbridled and uncontrolled and she always like being in control, it gave her a feeling of accomplishment and pride. And Jason was someone good, someone that compliments her, they were strong together but despite everything and everyone's encouragement, she could feel Jason was slipping away from her.

Or worse of all her suspicions, he was never really hers to begin with.

* * *

Jason hated Drama with a fiery passion. Not only was he able to make a fool out of himself almost every single lesson, he had to deal with...drama exercises.

"Hello, hello," Circe Birchwood, the Drama teacher, clapped her hands as she entered through the Blackbox theatre, "How are my lovely actors and actresses today?"

"Good morning, Ms Birchwood," they all said, seated in chairs in a crudely formed circle.

"Don't call me, Ms Birchwood, call me Circe. Ms Birchwood makes me feel old." Considering her audiences are teenagers, Jason mused, anyone within the age of thirty was old to them. Circe paced the room in jeans and t-shirt to emphasized the point that she's the drama teacher so she's all fun and cool when many of the others were unimpressed.

"Anyway, this term is going to be lots of theatre work and looking at books that had be turn into movies and plays," Circe paused, "And we're going to begin our firsts assignments."

Students groaned but Circe rolled her eyes. "Oh suck it up. You guys are Juniors now and we're have to start being serious here if we want to set mommy and daddy's little hearts out with the right college." Straightening up, Circe gazed at them crisply, "You all might think Drama is just a leisure subject, it is not. All those wanting to apply for an English major or pass basic English? Pay attention. Drama is a key subject which comprised of English and History. The golden three to make it into Bachelor of Arts so listen up and turn your chairs over to the stage."

The plastic chairs scraped the wooden floor as they shifted their attention over to the large centre stage. Circe strode over, her flying as she climbed up the front steps of the stage. "The assignment will tie nicely with the Production of this year, which is going to be a play adaptation of Jane Austen's classic piece and my all-time favourite book: Pride and Prejudice."

"I love that book!" exclaimed Annabeth Chase at the corner of the room.

Circe went on, keeping her tone business-like and yet an irrevocable tone of irony to it, "So we're going to be working in partners. Yes, partners, no groups, no trios- just partners, understood?"

They did.

"And I'll be picking your partners," she added dryly to the group of loud girls that consisted Drew Tanaka and her harem of clones. "There'll be no swapping, no exchanging and no negotiation, I don't care how much you loathe your partner but that's life and Drama: you have to learn how to work with people you do not particularly like."

There's a murmur of unpleasantness but Circe's expression meant final. "So," she broke into another cheery grin, "all names are in the hat and I'll go around, 'kay?"

The hat went from the right to the left and people passed it to one of the other after with the names of who they're partnering with. Another reason why he despised Drama was because none of his friends were in his Drama class, meaning he's going to be partnered with someone he either a) barely knows or b) find aforementioned, anonymous partner a pain in the ass and never do his/her share of the work.

Once the hat reached him, he prayed really hard he would receive a partially decent partner, picked a piece lying in the heap of names, and set it in front of him to read two words that will alter the course of his life, obviously a name that will hold meaning to him:** Piper Mclean.**

* * *

_Fuck._

A word repeated in Thalia's head as she saw him._ Fuck, fuck, fuck._

A word (an expression of profanity) used by Thalia Grace verbally and mentally quite often but never had the word had such prominent cause- like in literal case, she was _fucked_ when she saw Luke Castellan in her dorm as she strode in, then thus tripping over the non-existent bump on the floor and nearly falling flat on the floor.

But more on that later.

First, a word on Thalia Grace:

If there's a word to define Thalia Grace, there would be no words because a word can't simply define her. Some said she was scary and fierce, and other said she was misunderstood but also fiercely protective and compassionately inspirational.

No one could really understand her, or they thought they did, or they do understand her concept but very, very little.

Thalia Grace was a daughter of a wealthy politician, the Mayor of New York, and an iconic film star (who is a bit fucked-up, but that's another story).

A senior with average grades and a passion as fiery as amber flames for feminism, Thalia Grace was nonetheless someone completely different. She breathed and lived an air of stuffiness and hidden, false insecurities obscured underneath a barricade of contempt and derision. She was a slender, willowy-framed seventeen-going-on-eighteen beauty with electrifying blue eyes framed by curly, long lases and raven, inky black hair that stood out with her milky pale face.

She was diverse than what everyone expected her to be. She refused to follow her father footsteps nor her mother's (failing) career, and forged her on. She chose to be outrageous instead of a dull cliche, and she knew that about herself, she self-proclaimed herself as a 'fucking awesome rocker feminist activist'.

Thalia Grace had only been in love once, and it crashed and burn even before it began. Which was why, in all her life, she had only spat the word 'love' in a derisive, contemptuous tone because to her it's a fantasy, it doesn't exist and it's a fabrication, a distraction to get away from the crappy, shitty world she lived in.

Until he came along and it was like, _holy shit what is wrong with me?_

Yes, she was in love with Luke Castellan, but she's currently in denial.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she demanded after she recomposed herself with folded arms.

"Annabeth," _of course,_ thought Thalia bitterly then guilt consumed her, "We're suppose to be on a date."

"Can't you wait outside?" she asked irritably, walking over to her bed and lighting up a cigarette in between her slender fingers and pressing it to her lips. Her ice blue eyes seemed to be avoiding him as she took a drag, and breathed out, smoke curling from her mouth into the air. It was a forlorn sight to the blond boy, like a wilted, flower of ice, "This is a girls' dorm."

"I got tired of waiting in the common room for Annabeth to return from her pre-calc so I thought I wait here."

Sighing, she sat on the foot of her bed, "Fine, whatever."

"Are you okay?" he asked, out of the blue.

Luke Castellan was the first boy that made her feel important. He was her first friend, besides Jason, and he loved someone else. That someone else who happened to be her blonde, pretty best friend. Thalia Grace believed in love, but didn't believe in love as a plausible chance for her. amongst all the other trivial things like being nice to people.

She joined the Celibacy Club and was upgraded to captain, and it had been good to her, making her forget about everything, but seeing him was like a bitch-slap to the face.

"I'm fine," she snapped, "I have homework and Celibacy club stuff to focus on so…I'm a bit stressed."

"I can always tell when you're lying, you know?"

"Because you know me so well."

"I do, we've been friends since forever."

"Yeah, well forever doesn't last...forever."

"What happened to us?" Luke wonder, "We use to get along so good together."

"We change. People change. Get over it Luke." She said, lying through her teeth, smoke watering her eyes.

"Yeah, because, everyday you're like 'Who gives a fuck?' and you ignore things, but we know why you've been distant to everybody these few months, especially to me. I know you, Thals, and you're strong and dedicated but never do you ever run and hide."

"Run and hide from you?" laughed the other, "I never did. You picked her over me, remember? And plus, any feelings I had for you are over. Finished. Not every frustration in my life revolves around you."

"Oh really?" he challenged and he gazed at her with his steady blue eyes, she could die right now. "Thalia, I love Annabeth and you just have to accept that and despising me."

She started to retort something incompetently useless like _I do accept the irrevocable, incorrigible fact that you two are contented with your perfect, wittle lives. Just please, for fuck's sake, don't shove it in my face. You have no idea how it hurts _but before the words can leave her lips, Annabeth entered the threshold, suffering under the weight of the numerous textbooks in hand.

She watched painfully as Annabeth kissed him on the lips, like she wanted to.

"Open a windows, Thals," Annabeth lectured, fluffing that perfect blonde hair of hers and adjusting her t-shirt, "Anyway, we won't be around for dinner, okay?"

Thalia avoided Annabeth's grey eyes and fixed her stare onto the lit cigarette, because interpolating the flimsy, cracking smithereens of ashes, lies a tiny flame waiting to die out and she managed to utter a single word: "Okay."

Last year, both of them were crushing on Luke and Annabeth won out, as it turns out Luke preferred her better and she smiled, nodded along, rolled her eyes about how it's okay. They're perfect for each other.

She's happy for them. Wasn't she? Was she supposed to be?

There are some of us in this world who sometimes wished they can't feel anything to avoid the pain of one's heart breaking into pieces.

* * *

**AWW...poor Thals. Next chapter: Piper and Jason's partnering up. Oh dear, they won't get along so well, will they? So how did you like the ending, I quite enjoy the last line and sorry for the long update but hello, I'm doing NaNoWriMo so...**

**This chapter felt quite rushed. What do you think Pipes and Jason's book choices should be for their film/movie? And I know Circe is majorly OOC, because she's evil and all that but I figured she would have some sort of sense of humor because she DID turn Percy into a guinea pig, right? Besides, I think we prefer Drama Teacher Circe rather than Evil-Enchantress Circe, right?  
**

**Anyway, a day without reviews is like a day without sunshine.  
**

**Ciao!  
**

**-Savvy.**


	5. She Loves Me Not

**Do not own what I don't own. I think you guys get my drift.**

Chapter 5

She Loves Me Not

or

"Closer"

Percy Jackson was besotted.

He stood in the September rain, on the pavement in front of Goode Academy, waiting for her to come meet him on the steps to resume their tutoring lesson.

He fell in love with her in ways you skydive: hesitantly but then all at once, the rest of the process just hit him in the face like a freight train. He fell in love with her assertive, bossy demeanor and her tenacity to prove herself as the smartest, and he loved her blonde hair and calculating grey eyes.

They said love was a ruthless game, and to win it was to play it safe and right, but it was suicide when the love wasn't return, or worse, not even recognized.

It was 12th of September, he remembered, when Annabeth Chase descended the steps and approached him at the benches, "Hey," she smiled, and he caught a scent of lemon, "So ready for your tutoring?"

He held up his notebooks and textbooks, "Yeah."

"Burger King?"

"Where else?"

Together they exited and journeyed down the street of perpetually dense crowds and shops and restaurant, following the flow of businessmen and college students, and entering through a crowded Burger King.

She went to find a quiet place to seat while he ordered two cheeseburgers, fries and two large cokes, she had the books set up on the table with calculators and three different coloured pens, a quirk he found rather cute.

"I got the food."

She arched an eyebrow. "Two large cheeseburgers?"

"One of them is for you," he assured her with a cheeky grin and sat down opposite of her, tossing a french fry into his mouth and licked the salt off his fingers and she rolled her eyes. "What are we learning today?"

"Pre-algebra and calculus."

"Oh, fun."

"Do I detect sarcasm?"

"Depends on how you look at it," he shrugged, unwrapping the burger and sighed, "Damn it, if only these were blue like my mom's."

"Blue cheeseburgers?" wondered the other.

"Inside joke."

"Mind sharing?"

"Okay, so I love the colour blue-"

"I hadn't notice," her voice dripping with sarcasm as she gestured to his blue cardigan over his navy faded shirt and his blue jeans.

"Did someone didn't inform you like blue? By the way, I like blue."

She hid her snort in her in between bites of her cheeseburger. "Anyway, carry on with your anectdote on why you prefer your food to be blue."

"What's an anectdote?"

"A funny, amusing short story but that isn't important. Go on."

"When I was a kid, I love the colour blue so much that I would refuse to eat whatever that isn't blue. So my mom thought of a solution-"

"-which is to turn your food blue." Annabeth concluded for him, dipping her fries in ketchup. "Were you always this fussy as a kid?"

"My mom called me an attention-hyperactive little devil but I think she's just exaggerating."

Snorting with laughter, she shook her head. "Wow. Okay, we need to get some studying done."

"Yes, mom."

"Percy." chided Annabeth, "Focus. Your scores gotten better ever since I started tutoring you so we should continue with the pace you're going. Your average is hovering on a B minus, which you should really be proud of because it's a massive improvement from last year."

"Oh."

"I complimented you." Annabeth said with one of her rare, genuine smile that showed she was actually happy. "That's all you have to say?"

"Well, I couldn't think of anything to say."

"However," Annabeth went on, ignoring the previous snipe, "I'm just here to give you a few math problems. I can't really stay long because I have a date with Luke. He wants to take me over to this restaurant in the Village and it's going to really romantic and stuff." Percy wasn't as amused as Annabeth was but gave her a melancholic smile as she picked up her things and finished the last of her burger.

"See you." he said rather glumly but Annabeth didn't take to notice.

"Bye," And with that, she departed Burger King.

* * *

Piper couldn't really form an opinion on Jason Grace, for one- she only met the guy once but she heard of him. From what she learned he was Thalia's brother and the second was that he was Head Boy, like how Annabeth was Head Girl.

"Lucky." One of Drew's blonde clones muttered when she got partnered with Jason.

"What's so important about getting Jason Grace as a partner?" She couldn't help but asked the girl snidely. Unfortunately, Drew heard her and crooned with mocking laughter.

"Oh, Boobless, stop being cute. Have you seen Jason Grace, or are you blind? And second do you know who his _father_ is?"

With every word Drew had said, Piper felt even more dumb but didn't step down to ask: "Who?"

"She's like a little lost puppy, except even more annoying." Drew commented to her friends and Piper rolled her eyes. "His father is the Mayor of New York. Duh, he's like a big deal."

And that settled into Piper's mind. "So he has a big shot father, so what?"

"Jason Grace's basically untouchable. He's attractive-" Piper agreed with the gorgeous girl there, but didn't dare voiced it a loud. "-and he only dates girls with their families in politics._ That's_ why he's special."

"Who's he dating? Piper found herself asking Drew, who smirked.

"Interested, Boobless? Oh honey, I said he date girls with political background, not_ trashy_ ugly ones."

Piper gritted her teeth and raised her fist but Circe caught her and chose that particular moment to intervene. "No fighting tolerated in the Drama Room, Miss…"

"Mclean."

"Is that…?" She heard a girl whispered to her friend in the background.

"Yeah."

"No way."

She ignored them and faced Circe who had her arms crossed. "Detention, Miss Mclean."

Piper's mouth hit the ground. "But I didn't even hit her!"

"Detention or Principal's office." She shut up right after that but sent a gloating Drew a hateful glare.

"Now meet up with your partners and start discussing ideas."

The class broke into a small chatter of buzz as they walked across the room to work with their partners. She scanned the room for Jason Grace; the familiarity of the cropped blond hair and sky blue eyes when their eyes met in the middle of the room and she tried at a beaming smile, which he didn't return.

_Okay…_

"Hi." She greeted with much enthusiasm. "I'm Piper."

He stared at her, as if he's scrutinizing every detail of her. "I know."

_This is much more awkward than I encounter._

"What books do you think we should try a hand at adapting?" She pursued on despite the awkwardness. "Classic and Contemporary?"

He didn't even respond, he seemed distracted with something and somehow that ticked her off. "Um, hello? Our project! We should be working on this." It didn't occur to her how much she sounded like Annabeth.

"Right, sorry. It's just I don't really like Drama."

"Why not?"

"None of my friends are here."

_Typical boy._

"Doesn't mean Drama isn't an irrelevant subject," she said.

"I never said it was irrelevant. I just didn't like it, I'm perfectly entitled to my own opinions and you should stick to your owns."

Lip curling in distaste, she tightened her grip on her pen. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit agitated."

"I can see that." The way he's talking to her was curt and articulate, like a soldier and like she was this explosive material about to go off.

"So," she pressed on, "What book?"

He shrugged. "You can pick."

"Okay, that's it. I know you don't like Drama but can you at least put some emotion and effort? I don't want you to drag us down. You say you don't think Drama is irrelevant but you're acting like it's irrelevant to you."

He arched an eyebrow. "Are you normally this self-assuming?"

She gaped, caught off guard. "I'm not self-assuming."

"Oh really? Yet here you are making conspiracy theories on how I think Drama is irrelevant when really I just dislike it and-"

"I wasn't _making_ theories, I was just...observing the nonchalant way you were acting. It's like you didn't give a fuck if we fail or not."

"I dislike Drama, do you_ really_ think I give a fuck?"

"Well, I do! And we're being graded as duos, so can you just please do your bit of work instead of being some pompous guy who expects everyone to do work for him because his dad is the Mayor?"

Jason stared at her astonishingly and she closed her mouth, disbelieving the harsh words that just stumbled out. But it was kind of true.

"I don't expect people to do work for me."

"I...I was just...trying to emphasize my point in your partaking in this project."

"Maybe that's just_ you_, stereotyping people into worse categories than _you_ because you just _had_ to be better than anybody. Because you're the Hollywood attention whore."

Completely gobsmacked by what he just said, she crossed her arms. "Excuse me?"

"That's right. I just called Tristan Mclean's daughter an attention whore. A self-assuming, self-righteous attention whore. Call the paparazzi."

"You want to know what I think?" Piper started to stand up. "I think you're arrogant and rigid...son of a Mayor who thinks he own the world and sit there on the golden throne while everyone else does the work!"

"I sit around and_ do nothing_? I do _things._ I'm Head Boy, which is more than you would ever get in your academic achievements."

"I'm _Head Boy_," she mimics. "God, you even brag about some self-proclaimed title you probably beg your dad to give to you."

"You don't know anything about me or my father." He said furiously. "And second, at least I have something to brag about."

She exhaled heavily, tired."Forget it, I won't fight this because I'm the mature one." Piper picked up her bag as everyone began to leave."I'll pick the book."

And with one final harrumph, she left along with everyone else.

* * *

Piper Mclean was having a bad day.

Events following that horrid Drama lesson didn't fare too well to the brunette on the current day because for the rest of, she kept thinking about Jason Grace.

_"A self-assuming, self-righteous attention whore."_ The words emanating from his sculpted lips only preceded the fists clenching. They echoed over and over again; resounding in her head as if they were just spoken moments ago when in reality it had passed two hours and three minutes.

Despite how much it hurt; and how much she would deny it, she knew the troubles she had caused her father and the media coverage she had received perceive her as a spoiled brat who could've owned everything and everyone; but still pulled ridiculous stunts to get attention.

But she wasn't an attention whore, or self-righteous. _Or self-assuming_, she assured herself as she climbed up a flight of stairs, seething in passive rage.

As she turned over to the right corner to the Drama room to attend to her detention a Hispanic boy with curly hair and elf-shaped ears bumped into her, sending her books sprawling everywhere.

"Jesus!" He yelped. "I'm sorry."

"Watch where you're going," she muttered as both of them bent down to pick up her textbooks. The boy frantically handed her books and glanced back rather fretfully she thought. "Why in a rush?"

"Well, they're about to kill me."

"Who?"

"The Hunters! You think they wouldn't put their panties in a knot about-"

"LEO VALDEZ!"

The unmistakable booming shriek of Thalia Grace resounded against the corridor, alarming a few passerbies as a group of silver- clad girls marched over, looking pissed beyond measure.

"I'm going to die," whimper Leo besides her. "I'm going to die."

"How _DARE_ you fill our sacred abstinent pledge plaque with WHIP CREAM?"

Piper choked back her laughter and turned towards him, "You did _what_?"

"It was retaliation for last year's prank!" The boy said defensively. "It was a _fucking joke_."

"It's not a joke, it's_ sacred and expensive_!"

"That's why it's funny!"

"You have no tact at all, do you?" Piper asked him, shaking her head and the grumpiness that hung over her like a stormy cloud began to vanish.

"'Fraid not."

"Mmm." Her tone was dry with amusement, and she turned towards a very furious Thalia Grace. "Thals, don't kill him...well, at least not yet."

Thalia and her band of Hunters glared at Leo and Thalia held up an index finger, "You," she growled, "I'll get you on Pranking Term. I'll _get you."_

She and the girls stormed out, departing through the corridor. "Thanks," He said gratefully. "You save me...sort of."

"No problem...what_ did_ you do to make them pissed beyond comfort?"

A mischievous, impish grin appear on his elf-like face; and he smirked. "I complete trashed their pledge Celibacy Hunter badge with whip cream. Juvenile, but effective."

"You trashed their pledge badges with whip cream? No wonder they were mad."

He shrugged. "Whatever, they'll get over it. And...hey, aren't you Piper Mclean?"

The brunette seized up, waiting for the series of comments on her dad or her latest debacle but instead he held up a handshake which she surprisingly took. "Leo Valdez at your service. You can call me Awesomeness, Supreme Flaming Guy or-"

"I'll stick with Leo, thanks." She laughed, delight filling her multicolored eyes. "Piper. No titles or anything."

He had a concentrating, thinking face on and wags his finger at her, "You need a nickname; something pretty and Hollywoodsy."

"Er...no. I don't really like anything superficial."

"Beauty Queen!"

_"What?"_

"Irony, Beauty Queen, irony."

It occurred to Piper Leo Valdez might be the oddest boy she'd ever met, and that they were going to be best of friends until the end of their time.

"Don't call me that."

He shoved his hands into his pockets and began leaving to the opposite direction of where she's heading. "Whatever, Beauty Queen."

It was the commence of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

"I hate her."

"Piper? She isn't _that_ bad."

"You're _defending_ her!"

"I'm friends with her, and she isn't as spoiled as magazines make her out to be."

"You're still defending her!"

"Okay...okay...what's so bad about her?"

"She called me arrogant." Jason crossed his arms, glaring at no one in particular as Leo snacked on a plate of tortilla chips he stole from the school kitchens, "And she made the assumption _just_ because I was the Mayor son."

"Have you ever thought it's because you come off as snobby and that you expect work to be done for you without lifting a finger, or that you're too regal and hostile and uptight-"

"I'm_ not_ uptight!"

"Oh yeah, _totally_ not."

"Can you for once be supportive?"

Leo sat upright on his dorm bed, licking the salt off his fingers. "I am being supportive by giving you my utmost honest opinions. Seriously, Sparks, Piper isn't awful; she's just a bit…"

"Spoiled, bratty, annoying?"

"Maybe she is, but to me she isn't."

"She's still intolerable as...as…"

"You?"

Jason frowned. "Not funny."

* * *

"Your brother is irritating!" thundered Piper at Thalia when she arrived at the dorm right after detention.

"Jason?" Thalia looked doubtful. "I know he's annoying and all, but what did he do to piss you off?"

"He said I was self-assuming and he called me an attention whore!"

Thalia had a concentrated expression of her face as though as she was trying not to laugh and failing miserably. "Oh Jase," She shook her head, amused. "If you want to get a girl's attention, you don't call her a whore."

"Oh, he_ got_ my attention alright! He acted as if he couldn't care less about the project Miss Circe practically connive to make my life miserable!"

"Who make whose life miserable?" asked Annabeth as she entered the room, arms strained with a cartload of books she recently borrowed from the library.

"Piper has a bit of a spat with Thals' brother," Rachel chimed in, carelessly chucking a blanket over her messy bed and called it 'clean'. "Something about him being a douchebag and accusing Piper of being a self-righteous, spoiled attention whore."

"Watch it, Red, that's my brother you're insulting."

"Jason?" Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "That doesn't like him."

"Well, it was." grumbled Piper.

"Look, I know Jase can seem rather...cold and indifferent but he's a great guy once you get to know him." Thalia lit a cigarette, regardless of Annabeth's rules and the flammability of her bed sheets. She took a drag, then exhaled; smoke curling from her lips and the cigarette dwindle, ash scattering on the floor.

"He didn't even _smile_ when I said 'Hi', it's like Jesus Christ dude, show some fucking emotion. I mean, how does someone so hostile even have friends? I bet he had to pay people to be his friends because no one can probably stand the way how stoic he is. What does he do with his life? His dad pretty much_ own_ New York so he can afford _whatever he wants_ and-"

"As vastly entertaining your rants are, Pipes, it's my brother and my father you're talking about."

"I'm sorry," apologized the other. "It's just that...God...I'm not in the most brilliant of moods today."

"I hadn't notice," drawled Rachel sarcastically, combing through her red hair with a plastic blue hair brush. "Anyway, I have to go meet up with Percy."

"Why?" demanded Annabeth, almost too sharply.

"We have a history assignment, _duh._ Jeez, you're touchy."

"Oh."

"Mmm, and shouldn't you be fretting over Luke and your V card? What are you going to tell him?"

Thalia made a noise at the back of her throat and Piper arched an eyebrow. "Something you'd like to share with the class, Thalia?"

"I'm just leaving." replied the other rather coldly, as though the mention of Luke Castellan was as deadly and angry as the name of Voldemort.

"What's she mad about?" asked Annabeth, oblivious to her best friend's hidden pain.

"No idea." shrugged the two girls loftily, blissfully unaware of the shout and kick down the hallway Thalia Grace omitted, then hating herself for admitting such a sign of weakness.

Especially for an unrequited boy.

**Hullo. So there you have it. Jason and Piper didn't get off in a very good start (hehe), Annabeth likes Luke but is unaware or denying her affection for Percy; who secretly harbours a crush on her but couldn't do anything about it because she's dating Luke, who's pretty much pressuring her to swipe her V card and who's Thalia is infatuated with and hates herself for it. **

**Damn. **

**Next: Frank, Hazel, Gwen, Reyna, Dakota, Leo and Calypso. I know I have LOTS of storyline going on there but obviously the main one will be the development of Jasper, because I want a story where they don't fall in love immediately or like she hates him with a fiery passion because he's arrogant and smug (which is extremely OOC for Jason, even if its AU) and then loves him suddenly. Love does not work that way. It must grow. So throughout this story Piper and Jason will hate each other then acknowledge their flaws and set aside differences and become friends, which will later develop into love or they will recognise love for each other after few craziness because knowing Savvy she won't let the characters live in peace. **

**Ciao!**


	6. Four Letter Words

**Do not own any of the characters. Belongs completely to Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 6

Four Letter Words

or

"Live, Pray, Love"

Love is a game. A game of dangerous ruthless competitors; two can play to win or two can crash and burn with broken hearts and broken things to empty places and empty feelings because of separate desires and separate dreams.

Piper Mclean had never been in love.

Jason Grace was desperately trying to convince himself he _was _in love.

Annabeth Chase was in denial of loving someone else.

Percy Jackson loved a particular being but no one noticed at all.

Thalia Grace have only utter the word "Love" in contempt.

Luke Castellan was in "love' as about any adolescent boy would've been.

So far you've heard six of these lonely souls' woes and now you're about to hear a few more others.

It was officially Winter.

The cold was mind-numbing, and it struck Goode Academy like a blizzard storm (no pun intended). Every weekend, students were forced to stay in their dorms to avoid freezing to death.

Normally in New York, Winter was absolutely lovely- but such cases was only in December when snow was falling and the trees are lit with beautiful lights. Instead it was November, it rained, rained and rained as if God was hailing his all-mighty torment onto Earth's feeble inhabitants.

Leo Valdez was having a bad day. Like all bad days, it started out with Jason smacking him with a pillow to get up for breakfast and he stayed up the night before trying to finish his Russian Communism report (because the teacher had threaten him with month long detentions and he wouldn't want to spend the rest of Halloween scrubbing the boys bathroom), he fell off his bed and Dakota had bluntly told him the bump on his head had grown to the size of the topographical map of Madagascar, and he was harangued twice by the Vice Principal- the tough-ass Miss Lupa- for his unkempt hair and ill-mannered behaviour.

Leo Valdez chattered in his wool gloves and thick wool jacket as he strode into the science lab. Scowling and shivering, he hated winter. It was miserable, everyone was in a miserable mood, every day of the season was miserable and did he mention it was miserable?

He dumped his book on the surface of the desk at the back of the room and settled onto his stool, waiting for the class to commence and deciding the day couldn't get any worse.

Somehow whenever he thought that, the Universe personally made it a sure thing it did.

"Hurry in, hurry in." Miss Medea shooed in the remaining students into the lab then turned towards her audience of bored teenagers: "Welcome back, Juniors. I hoped you had a pleasant holiday over the summers but time for fun it's over and it's time to begin a new semester of hard work and tests." Students groaned but Miss Medea ignored them. "This semester we'll be working specifically on chemistry, and so because this is Junior year, we can't afford you slacking off so I'll be allocating the partners that will be your science lab partner for the rest of the semester."

"You're fucking kidding me," a student mumbled at the corner of his ear. "First Drama now this."

Miss Medea didn't tolerate profanity so it's either she didn't care or she didn't hear it- it was most likely the latter. She did the systematic boy/girl/boy/girl thing but teachers were now blissfully unaware that for adolescents it wasn't too much of a punishment anymore.

"Leo Valdez and Calypso Moonlace."

He froze as some of the jackasses across the room snickered, much to his dismay. Calypso Moonlace was "Kooky" Calypso as many of the students like to tease her. She was a quiet, mousy girl who barely spoke and sat alone during meal times. Somehow, she came off as odd and strange to other people and sometimes for personal amusement, Drew Tanaka and her band of clones would play miniature pranks on her like stealing her belongings and after Calypso replaced them with new ones she would receive them back in beautiful gift boxes and cruel annotations on gift cards. And sooner or later, the school was set on ignoring and making life hell for her. But it's not like Calypso ever made it hard to shove her around.

His eyes found sight of her. Her eyes were dark cinnamon brown with precocious wisdom in them and her chestnut hair was tied into a ponytail; she wore a large knitted jumper over her patterned tights and she hugged her Physics textbook as she walked over to him.

Drew whispered to her friends as Calypso placed her things onto the table, and they smirked and broke into giggles. The class seemed to have tensed to pause to watch how he react to having Kooky Calypso as a partner.

"Hi." She said it so soft he had to strain his ears to hear.

Everyone eyed him pensively. And this was one of those moments- those kind of moments when a person had two choices; the crossroads of two options that could possibly drastically change the course of his life or send said person onto a road of alarming regularity. Most would've chosen the path of mundanity and if he was to look back on this day, he would've picked something different and less guilt-consuming than what he was about to say in utterance with frostiness:

"Stay away from me, Kook."

Gwendolyn Masters was pretty.

She had that type of soft beauty you'll see in Carrie Mulligan, and if you were to glance at her for a second, you'll be forever tempted to look at her for more than a second. She had long champagne blonde hair with shades of strawberry, minty green eyes and creamy skin she spent through constant spa treatments.

She was tall and willowy, a pliant built, thick and defined eyebrows and cupid lips..Gwendolyn Masters was undeniably wonderful.

She didn't knew it, though.

She was the kind of person Jane Austen would've described in a cynical but grudgingly kind manner as "bold, wild-mannered, conceited but with a well-loved spirited disposition that everyone- be it a lady or a gentleman- adored".

However, something was undoubtedly wrong with Gwen.

But more on that later.

Hungry, she suppressed the monsters gnawing for food in her stomach and she frowned at her body as she asked for Hazel's assistance to zip up the new four hundred dollars dress she shamelessly bought at Fifth Avenue. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her arms are spindly and long, her legs were ribbon-thin and the dress hugged her waist well-enough though the chest area felt a bit tight..._Christ,_ did her hips _really _look that big?

"Want to go for Lunch?" Reyna closed her laptop, and the circles under her eyes were prominent.

"Should we grab the boys too?" Hazel piped.

"Why not?" shrugged Reyna. "Come on Gwen."

The blonde smiled. "Hold on, let me get this dress off."

They wrapped their fluffy coats and wool scarves then crossed over the corridor to the Living Room where most of the festive activities were taking place. The boys agreed; and they ventured down the steps and out of the school.

The trip towards the local coffee joint where the majority of the school's population like to spend their abundant free time, especially during the colder seasons. It was only a few minutes stroll down the street and it was already laced with snow, the iciness of the pavement was slippery enough to skid across.

The scent of caffeine and the emanating comfort of the fireplace spreading to her joints, encouraging her to take out her white coat and thick scarves. Reyna spot Annabeth and her friends gathered around the counter, paying for their coffee and she waved at her, and the grey-eyed blonde returned the gesture by smiling politely then turning away. That was how the West and East greeted each other; they are acquaintances not friends and sometimes enemies.

Gwen held no grudge or reluctance for the East (not as much as the boys who were still a tad disgruntled for the recent win of Prank War) so she approached Annabeth, Rachel, Thalia and a petite brunette with a beaming smile.

"Hullo, Annabeth."

Thalia and Rachel cleared their throats oh-so subtly.

"Thals, and Rachel, I know you're there too." She said dryly.

The petite brunette coughed slightly and Thalia clapped her leather-cladded hands together, "Gwennie, this is Pipes."

The brunette glared at Thalia, who grinned affectionately. "Piper."

The blonde's green eyes widened. "Piper Mclean?"

Piper winced. "Yeah."

"_Oh_! I _love _your dad in that King of Sparta movie, he was just _soooo…._you probably don't wanna know."

"Yeah."

"That rhymed." chimed in Rachel.

"It did, Rachel," mused Annabeth, disbelieving of the randomness of the people she hung around with. "Well, we just here to pick up a few coffees then we'll head back to the dorms because we have homework."

"Oh come on, Annie, can we stay and chill with Gwen and her West buddies for a while?"

"_Thalia._"

"What,_ mom_?"

"Thalia, we _have _homework."

"Annabeth," supplied Piper, "We all need a break, and it wouldn't hurt just to sit down and _relax." _

"Traitor."

It was settled. Annabeth, Rachel, Thalia and Piper would be joining them for tea or whatever it was called when your friends decided to just head down for coffee at an unparticular time. Piper scowled when she saw Jason, whose lips tightened at the corners and Gwen arched her plucked eyebrows. There was something going on around those two and she intend to find out.

"Drew Tanaka looked _hot _in that pants," observed Dakota, as he took a sip of Kool-Aid from his flask and stretched out his limbs across the plush chairs.

Gwen shot him a critical look. "It's _Drew." _The blonde looked across the shop and saw the Asian girl, long tousled dark hair twirled into an updo with a butterfly clip and dark brown eyes lined perfectly with jade green eyeliner, laughing and chatting animatedly with her friends- gossiping, most likely,

"Lar, don't you think Drew Tanka's legs is extremely fine in those white tights?"

"Do not _objectify _women bodies!" Thalia snapped. "We are human."

"I didn't asked _you, _Grace, so sit that tight ass down. But what do you think, Lar?"

Larry sipped his cocoa. "I'm not going to partake into your objectification of women's bodies, Kota."

"Spoilsports."

The rest of the table sans Leo rolled their eyes.

"Speak of the devil," Reyna interjected darkly and indicated with a nod of her head that Drew Tanka was crossing over towards them, and Gwen grudgingly agreed (inside her head) she appeared great in her dark fur jacket, slim white tights and steel toe boots. The two girls eyed and sized each other with a cynical regard; and ever since the dawn of high school had begun (or when they first laid eyes on each other), it was constant competition of who dressed better, who ate better, who dated the best boy.

And Drew _always _won.

"Good afternoon," Drew said insidiously, wicked beauty in all she was, and ignoring Gwen- per usual. "So Rey and Jase, when's the royal engagement coming up?"

"We're sixteen." Jason reminded her with a stony expression, his fingers tangled upon Reyna's firmly- a gesture Gwen secretly fangirled over for a brief second.

"But it's not like it's completely implausible, and it's bound to happen in two, three years?"

"Maybe," Gwen intoned. "But why should you care or are you so bored with your own life you have to nosed into other's people businesses?"

"Gwen!" cried Drew in falsehood, and Gwen resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the phoniness. "Didn't see you there, and my, you look...dashing." Somehow, Drew looked as though she wanted to use another adjective other than 'dashing'.

_Two can play a game. _

"You too," Gwen smiled fakely, "I love your boots."

"Mmm," was all Drew can respond as she took a drink out of her cup, her "I'll see you."

The _clicks _and _clacks _of Drew and her friend's shoes hitting the pavement began to fade as they strode out in a very articulate and hissy manner (_Good, _Gwen thought rather scathingly, _we don't want you around_).

"Seriously?" asked Piper almost immediately, "Who ever compliment someone with the word 'dashing'?"

"Drew, apparently." remarked Leo, engorging himself into a muffin and Gwen rolled her eyes. "Problem, Princess?"

"It's just so..._uncivilized, _if you're going to eat it with your fingers might as well eat it with manners."

"Gwen, it's a muffin," pointed out Hazel, "And it's not like you're eating it."

The blonde proceeded in pursing her lips, as she had lost the argument and took a cautionary gulp of her hot soy latte, the warmth searing her tongue. She then turned to Piper, who was nibbling a cookie and still managed to stay effortlessly pretty, much to Gwen's dismay. Despite rumours, Piper seemed like a decent person and Gwen had the propriety to inquire how was Piper enjoying the Academy.

"It's okay, though-" she added with a bit of a cold look to Jason, who returned the favour with an equally hostile glare. "-sometimes could be better."

"Funny," snapped Jason. "Things were fine until _you _came along."

Discerning a fight, Reyna was smart to launched into a series of hard-hitting questions about the girl's interest in co-curriculars.

Gwen drifted off from the conversation, retaining an engaged look while she was scrutinising Dakota's ridiculously red lips. They made him looked as though he was a vampire and just finished off a human meal. The thought of food entered her mind and her stomach grumbled but Gwen suppressed it, reminding herself of her elephantine hips. Her mother had taught her from a young age that beauty means pain.

"I need the bathroom," proclaimed Gwen suddenly.

Gwendolyn Masters was a relatively complex girl- as all teenage girls were. To her friends she seemed always...happy with herself. Thus of precedented events, she was not.

She stared at the cracked mirror in her reflection, wondering if the torment she was putting herself through to be more beautiful was worth it. _It is, _she told herself, _it is. _

Whirling around, she bend down onto the toilet seat, her hair falling in front of her, she pushed two fingers down her throat, triggering her gag reflection. Predictably, the bile rose up, her fingers left her mouth and she vomited. Coughing and spluttering, the contents of yesterday's (very little) dinner spewed into the basin of the toilet. She disgorged all of her food out, especially the recently drunk soy latte, and once her stomach had stopped, she straightened up, flushed the toilet, went back to the sink and wash her mouth.

Reapplying her lip-gloss, she left the bathroom, looking as though none of it ever occurred.

* * *

Reyna was annoyed.

This was not an unusual circumstance. With the company she spent her abundant free time, she was frequently in an irate mood. Plus, she had Octavian on her heels, pestering about the Council and how he would make a better Head Boy than Jason was, no wonder she was erratic on good behaviours.

However, being in the worst of all tempers, she found, was when she can do her best.

It was Mid-november when the council gathered together, and Jason was late.

Her legs tapped the floor anxiously and she kept tucking in non-existent wayward strands of her hair. "Have you heard from Jason?"

"Obviously not, Octavian, if I did, would we be here waiting?" snapped the girl.

Octavian recoiled in a pleuthera of passive aggressive emotions, his face settling into a mask of stoniness. Reyna allowed herself a small smile- sometimes she had an urge to hit him and the slightest irritation from him was like a mini gift from Heaven above.

Suddenly the door flew open and Jason hurried in, looking flushed.

Reyna started to open her mouth but Jason beat her to it. "The stupid drama project."

Octavian sniffed boisterously, and the hatred in his eyes held no incentive for the rivalry the two shared, and it was so strong that Reyna could smell the testosterone from a mile away. "That's no reason to be late."

"Burn in hell, Octavian, I'm not in the mood to fuck around."

"Language!" chided Reyna but she hide her smile in bemusement. "Jason," Keeping a very professional composure: "Please try not to be late next time."

Jason withdrew a chair and sat down, muttering under his breath; uncharacteristically pissed off today for a reason she bound to know. She've never seen him so ruffled , before because the Jason she knew was very immaculate and business-like, which was required from an upcoming Congressmen and possibly future mayor of New York.

She glanced at him and smiled demurely at him, a smile he didn't return. She tried not to think too much about it... Jason still cared about her and establishing eye contact was not just one way to proclaim love for anybody. Speaking of which, she love Jason...does she?

And besides, this was love- an emotion she still didn't quite understand. She's not like Gwen, who freaked out like a Justin Bieber fan girl whenever her OTPs- whatever that is- came true. She was not a girly-girl like Gwen or fantasize about how in love she wants to be- no, Reyna Bellum was a practical person. Unlike other sixteen year olds, she engrossed herself in activities like the student council or extra college summer classes during her free time.

She was focused on her future and aspirations, timely set on making things happen for her that her friends nicknamed her "The Iron Lady" (it was rather flattering- being compared to Margaret Thatcher). So when it comes to being endearing or sweet she was utterly clueless (something a state Reyna was not accustomed to) but Jason never made it a big deal and that's why she liked him so much. She realized the past few months of dating was kind of nice.

Jason have always been a decent friend and he was also quite charming as a boyfriend. He didn't pressure her on intimacy, he listened to her, he was smart and epitomized everything that a boyfriend should be. He was smart and his family was more than eligible and their parents were virtually lining them up for marriage but she felt as though it wasn't right and she didn't know what it was- which was frustrating. Dealing with emotions and love...no wonder her sister dedicated her life to feminist advocation.

Her deliberation ended thoroughly when the chairs screeched in indication of the meeting finishing.

"Hey." greeted Jason, pecking her right cheek.

Closing her folders and rolling her eyes: "Nice try Sparks but why were you late?"

"Piper," grumbled Jason, looking like a thundercloud. "She kept changing themes and ideas about the project. I swear the girl's mind is like a leprechaun, trying to search for gold in shrubbery."

Arching her eyebrows, she pressed on. "She can't be that bad."

"Oh, yeah? Try spending five minutes. Anyway, I got football practice and Coach is killing us."

"You know," teased Reyna, smirking slightly. "If your hair is longer you sure as hell can pass off as a pubescent teenager."

"Har de har har," Jason said, and waved. "Goodbye, see you later.'"

And then he was gone an instant later.

* * *

**I am SO SORRY for the wait! However, there YA GO! A feature on the Romans and I hope you enjoy it.  
**

**Obviously, Jason and Reyna's love-y dove-y part of the relationship is strained, Gwen's choking her lunch, dinner and breakfast out to the toilet and here comes LEO AND CALYPSO!**

**Review- it's better than love. Well, almost.**

**-Savvy.**


	7. Common Interest

**Do not own any of the characters. Belongs completely to Rick Riordan.**

.

Chapter 7

Common Interest

or

"Why We Feel"

Piper Mclean and Jason Grace hated each other because of a controversial idea that they were very different (or so they think).

Instead, they were actually quite similar in ways they've never perceived or would've dismissed with derision. Both had daddy issues worthy of an extremely horrendous soap opera and both were particularly wealthy, and both shared a general idea based on first impressions and what the consensus was bearing in mind. (In case, you were wondering, to generalize is to be an idiot.)

Prejudice wrought each individual's hearts, and only time would bring henceforth the inevitable. Like the sir William Blake had written his wise words on parchment with ink: _Eternity is in love with the production of time._

And the proverbial shield of ice had only begun to crack when Jason sat in front of his office, bracing the ferocity of his father's berate.

It was a Friday, the weather was battling it out as though God was hailing his immortal torment onto the world and Jason had the merest idea that maybe, maybe, today would just be okay. And we as readers might chuckled as his naivety but Jason wasn't wrong for leading the assumption- everything rolled by smoothly, Octavian managed to keep his mouth shut for a considerable amount of time (Jason nearly thought he was dead and my, was it a comforting thought), he and Reyna went for a study date that had no awkwardness or strained conversations and there was, at an alarming astonishment, no homework for the weekend.

He was lying on the bed, listening to his old Bon Jovi collection on his iPod when the phone rang and he picked it up.

"Mr. Grace?" It was his dad's secretary.

Suddenly anxious, Jason's eyebrows arched. "Yes?"

"Your father requested for the family to dine at Eleven Madison Park, and please ensure that your sister arrived in an appropriate fashion. Thank you."

Jason's heart began to beat with rapid fear. The last time his father had asked for a full meeting of the Grace family was a year ago and that was because his mother (not Hera) was found on the floor, cold and motionless, overdosed from a bottle of anti-depressants.

What could it be this time?

Not waiting to find out, he texted Thalia about the details and earned a message of swear words, which placed a smile on his face. The Grace family can change a lot but only Thalia would remain the same. Quickly squeezing himself in to trousers- damn the bastard who invented those, they're bloody tight, they are- and a crisp, unironed shirt he couldn't be bothered with ironing, and he went down the stairs.

Thalia was dressed. She wore jeans, a simple black shirt and a leather jacket with a heavy load of silver jewelry many enough to haywire the airport's security system. "Did he say why he wants us?" inquired Thalia once he arrived.

"Didn't say," Jason shook his head. "Hopefully, no one died."

Thalia snorted.

The limousine was in front of the school, ready for them- Jason was glad. He didn't want to waste an hour hailing for a cab. Traffic was notorious but it was rush hour so it was expected. Though Jason was sure that if they were to walk, he would get there faster, and his patience was wearing thin as his nerves were growing at an increasing rate.

Growling, Thalia groaned and banged her head against the wall when she saw the long lines of cars ahead of them, "You've gotta be kidding me." She lit up a cigarette, smoke emitting from the ashes, and glanced at her watch. "Shit."

Jason frowned, "What do you mean 'shit'?"

"Well…"

"Well _what_? We aren't late, are we?" The phone rang and Jason saw his father's name at the caller ID. "_Fuck_, we're late!"

Fraught with anxiety, he picked it up methodically.

"Jason, where are you and are you anywhere near the restaurant?"

"Traffic," replied Jason and he heard an audible sigh from the other end of the line, as though the existence of rush hour's Manhattan traffic was utterly his fault. Conjecture was, however, ceased as a result of his father speaking once again.

"Alright then, I'll meet you and your sister when you're there." Then came the inevitable end of the phone call.

It was a profitable eight-thirty when they arrived at the restaurant. Eleven Madison Park was already teeming with wealthy businessmen and well-known celebrities; it's grandeur splendid in a la modern de France of sparkling chandeliers and marbled floors, an impressive front of a five star rating.

Hera, their stepmother, and their father was already attacking a platter of breadsticks and garlic bread with olive oil and vinegar. The sounds of the drawing of their chairs across the floor told them that they were present.

"Jason," acknowledged Hera, and mouth curling in distaste: "Thalia."

"Bitch." Thalia smiled blandly. Nothing gave her larger pleasure than causing an unpleasant peril for her stepmother.

"Thalia," admonished Zeus Grace. He didn't look up but took a bite out of his bread. Jason hid his smile in bemusement. Zeus finally glanced and surveyed the sight of his two children; his daughter's hair pulled into a messy ponytail, her face lined with heavy eye-makeup and her expression sullen. Jason was, as always, the composed one in an unironed polo shirt, and his blond hair was wet, slightly brown, and his blue eyes couldn't have been colder if he was staring Adolf Hitler in the face. "So," Breaking the ensuing silence: "Shall we order?"

"Seems like you already did." said Jason placidly, pointing demonstratively to the platter of bread.

He ignored his son and beckoned the waiter over. He and Hera chose a safe choice of a _Sauvignon Blanc_ white while Thalia flippantly flick through the menu, seemingly unimpressed.

"I'll have a Shirley Temple."

Hera arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. Thalia gave him a look, and she knew what he was going to pick- sparkling water; safe, un-alcoholic and terribly predictable of him. There were times he wished he was like Thalia, audacious and naturally don't-give-a-fuck-like.

"A vodka tonic."

"Seriously? How uncouth." Hera sniffed disdainfully.

Thalia grinned. "I think it's fine." she said cheerfully.

"Anyway," Zeus cleared his throat. "Jason, we need to talk about your claiming into politics. Have you gain interest in any of which of the Universities you are to attend?"

_This again?_ "I'm still looking."

Thalia squeezed his hand under the table.

"Son, we have to start getting serious. An advancement into University before you graduate is an advantage in your political career! The nation would see you as precocious and determined to do what's right for the people."

"But I want to finish school. Education is important- your words."

"Yeah, dad," Thalia concurred, eyes burning. "Your words. Let him graduate, he's still a kid."

"Hey!"

"See what I mean? A petulant kid, he haven't even lost his-"

"Your haven't swipe yours either!"

"Because for a girl it's seen as honorary and for a boy it's just...a shame."

"Fuck you."

"And to you to!"

"Language." Hera hissed, earning a few alarmed expressions from the rich and famous surrounded. The Peacock Lady was very distressed in her extravagance, and her step-children aren't making it any better.

"Everyone behave." thundered Zeus and all conversation ceased on the table. "Thalia, you have heed all claims on your inheritance therefore you have no say in Jason's. Jason's decision is Jason's decision."

Thalia pursed her lips angrily in defeat but said nothing.

"I was actually thinking…" began Jason, wincing at how horrible he started. He didn't know how to explain to his father how much politics was, to him, quite useless in shorter sense. He didn't understand why powerful men of adversaries found it necessary to keep empty promises of hope and became deprived of morals and go through lengths of self-preservation to stay in power. Jason didn't want to send himself into a dirty sea of corrupted souls. Instead, he felt himself longing to travel the world, circumnavigate it in the eyes of someone else's- someone who can live as though tomorrow would cease to exist and oblivion was nigh. He imagine waking up in maybe a ramshackle inn the midst of nowhere in Mexico or on a plane to Malaysia or a place of somewhere exotic with only a bag pack of essentials with him.

Clearing his throat, and recomposing his sentences, he tried again."Anyway, I was just hoping to keep my options open and I've been wondering maybe I want to try...exploring."

Beat.

Silence.

"You're joking, right?" Zeus chuckled merrily, taking a swig of his wine.

Thalia watched Jason's face, which remained polite. "No, dad, I was being serious. I mean, I was sort of thinking maybe I could try piloting my own plane around the world, and discovering different countries. For a few years and then I'll go to college and launch my career, like you wanted."

"_Jason_, this is an opportunity that you can only grab when you're young and you're a Grace, a man of political honour and you're saying that you want to become a hobo?"

"An explorer."

"An unsponsored traveller, same thing." He waved his hand, a scowl looming. "What about that Reyna girl, hmm, what does she have to say about this absurdity?"

The muscle in his neck twitched. And he stared onto the garlic bread. How stupid was he to believe anything would ever change in his father heart, let alone his life? "Reyna is unaware of my wishes."

"That's because they're not to be your wishes. And speaking of dear Reyna, remember that an engagement will help boost your chances in the future polls- her family can influenced about the entire western seaboard. And you do plan on marrying her anytime soon?"

"Father," He began again, trying to keep the reasoning in his tone. "I'm only seventeen. How do I, um, marry her when I haven't even graduate?"

"Then you are to do so immediately. _Listen_ to me, Jason, I'm only speaking against you for your own good. Marrying a Bellum girl, and finishing college early would prove that you are a man determined to rule the country, like your father here. And you are a Grace, live by the name."

"Yes," He said lightly, and a person of his name "Grace" was stuck in the life where money came easy, and free will doesn't. Ironic, isn't? The name of it was "Grace" and yet it doesn't really offer much of it.

"I need a cigarette." said Thalia loudly, rising from the Jason. "Care to join me, Jase?"

"Um…"

"_Now_."

"Of course."

They left the restaurant. The stagnant air of pollution blowing past the streets and their hair, masking it with an unhealthy amount of carbon dioxide. Thalia took out the packet of_ Malboro Lights_ and her lighter. She lit up the cigarette, place it to her lips, inhaled and then a whiff of smoke came out. "I can't believe him." Breathing sharply: "Jason, I'm so sorry."

"It doesn't matter." said Jason. "What I want don't matter at all."

"Don't_ talk_ like that. Jesus."

"It's Jason but I've been told the resemblance is rather uncanny."

Thalia rolled her eyes. She watched the hardness in his eyes, and tried to pat his shoulder. "Tell me you at least feel some sort of frustration."

"I'm a Grace, Thalia, I'm used to disappointment." Jason looked everywhere but her.

"But no seventeen year old deserves that sort of treatment from their father," argued Thalia. "Dad is an asshole. He always talk about what he wants, not us. He doesn't care at all. Renounce your claim, do what I did."

Jason laughed bitterly. "I'm his only heir left, if I was to do such a thing, he'll disown me and leave me without a penny. You told me I'm stupid not that I lack common sense."

"This fucking sucks."

"No shit."

A mischievous smile suddenly formed on Thalia's lips; devious light in her eyes. "Tell you what, we'll hail a cab, ditch them, go back to school and there's a party on the roof. We'll get drunk and forget this ever happen."

The rational part of Jason- whose "goodie-two-shoes" disposition was uncharacteristically slipping- told Jason he shouldn't. His head will hurt. And he'll probably wake up in a stranger's bed. But a warm, unsettling feeling overwhelmed his chest, and Jason's control of his morals was spiralling.

But after tonight and the frustration, every shred of formality needed to go- at least for the moment.

* * *

_Hours Ago_

On a trivial matter, it was a good Friday. The sun was up in the sky- a rarity for October in New York- and all athletic practices were held outside. Halloween was a week away so the school had been redecorating it's cold corridors with fake pumpkins and orange banners in a fruitless attempt to make them less null of personality. But otherwise, it was an astoundingly average Friday. No one got pregnant, no one overdosed on drugs, no one was caught cheating on their significant other, and no one was expelled. Life went on as usual, and everything was just rosy-daisies.

On a trivial matter.

Piper had breakfast with Annabeth and Thalia and they were serving her all-time favourite- toast with peanut butter and strawberries, so she started the day on brilliant terms, and the teachers was remotely generous on homework which meant she was free of burdens for the weekend because she had just concluded her report on the Russian Communism for History.

She sat on the plastic chairs in the blackbox theatre situated at the south wing of the school, ahead of the time written on the flyer, awkwardly trying avoid all kind of conversation and stuffing herself with the bowl of chips and orange juice set up by the drama teacher, Miss Medea.

Drew and her friends were laughing at the other side of the room, looking at her and she told herself to just ignore them. Nothing good would ever come out with picking a fight, even though she dearly wished to smack her Drew in the face, she had to restrain herself or not she'll be one detention away from getting kicked out.

Again.

She didn't know why a_ girl_ like Drew wanted anything to with Drama...maybe she just wanted the attention. Girls like Drew always went through lengths to stay popular and interesting.

"Welcome to the Production!" called a voice from the stage and it was from a beaming Circe, radiant and wrapped up in a cheerful assemble of scarves. She wore a long-flowing white tunic with black tights, a blue cardigan and sandals. She hopped off the stage and walked to the circle of chairs then seated herself onto the middle of the circle. Everyone filed into the circle and she fled over to an empty chair, licking the chip salt off her fingers.

"This year's play would be on the highly-acclaimed classic 'Pride and Prejudice', and here are the books- read, study and analyze them; it's your Bible-" There was a few laughs as she passed the novels around. "Now, auditions will be next week as you'll need time to study the roles and acknowledge the characters to help decide which role you want to play. Understood?"

She did. She didn't know what make her pursue acting- honestly, she did _one_ commercial, courtesy of her father's nagging and boredom during the summer before the previous one. And plus, she saw how the profession took her father away. But maybe it's because she just wanted to try, out of curiosity…

...Or was it because of her father's influence?

* * *

People have often said to cure a broken heart, you simply needed time.

Well, Thalia could safely tell those people it was all bullshit.

Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.

It had been almost a year since Luke chose Annabeth over her. And she wasn't over it. She couldn't be over it.

Which was why, during times of turbulence, tonight called for a night of drunken mistakes and forgotten declarations of love and misguided trips to the bedroom.

Nonetheless, when she returned to the familiar Goode Academy with a sufficient amount of tar and nicotine in her lungs, she stripped out of her jeans and changed into shorts, fishnet stockings (under the shorts), a tight tank top, her trusty leather jacket and a pair of combat boots. She tied her hair into a ponytail, and slapped a packet of cigarettes into her pockets, grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and she was raring to go.

"Seriously?" Jason eyed her get-up as she closed the door of her empty dorm behind her. This means all her mates were already at the roof, waiting for her.

"Oh shut up, Sparky. I'm pissed _and_ tired so you're in no position to judge me." She said as they reached the door leading to the fire escape. "And you should call Rey and the others, they'll want to come. Plus, you need to have some fun too or not people would start to think you're compensating."

"I'm not compensating." came Jason's garbled reply, climbing the ladder before she did. "I'm drowning in dad's expectations. I've texted Dakota and Gwen but I'm not sure about Reyna and Hazel. However, I think Leo and Larry's up there already."

"'Kay," She said breezily, kicking up the latch that led to the roof.

The cold wind of an October night in New York hit her like a bitch slap in the face. The night was a regal portrait of studded diamonds, and the moon provided the only source of natural light.

The party was in full-swing. The familiar, predictable of the beat in the offensive, novelty rap song made her sway to the rhythm. It was filled with dry ice smoke, beams of flashlights played over the apparent 'dance floor' and the keg stands and tables of beer, bowls of chips and spiked punch stood over the southwest of the roof, not too far away from the euphoric commotion.

The three hundred or so teenagers shrieked in high-pitched laughter at nothing in particular, dancing or whatever that passed for it; shaking or jerking with the occasional shimmy of the chest- though that was most probably the majority of the female population. Couples were at corners, passionately making out and muttering their slurry promises to be one forever always.

Through the darkness and the artificial fog; she supposed this was her crowd. Teenage exploitation at it's very best; this was where she can get lost, get drunk, get high and forget about Annabeth and Luke, who were conveniently kissing by the stereos.

She spot Piper and Rachel sitting by the ledge where the view of the city was spectacular, surrounded by a few well-known peers and drinking beer out of red plastic cups. "Do you see your friends?"

Jason looked around and his face fell- not literally. "No, I can't see them anywhere."

"Then you can come with me." She dragged Jason towards her mates and waved. "Hey guys!"

"Thals!" giggled Rachel in a very un-Rachel-like manner. "How ya doing?"

"Great. How much did you had to drink?"

"Oh not many...just like what? Nine cups?"

"Ten." corrected Piper, taking an amused sip of her beer then her eyes zeroed onto Jason. "What are _you_ doing here? Don't you have squirrels to strangle?"

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Hilarious but I'm here with Thalia. What are _you_ doing here? If I'm not mistaken, the paparazzi haven't arrive to see you drunk off your ass."

"I'm not drunk!" She rose from the ledge and stumbled a bit. "Well, maybe a tad. But still not drunk, Grace. I supposed you wouldn't understand the definition of being drunk since, you know, you're Mr Head Boy! You never drank out of the permission from dearest daddy."

"Oh, really? Well, you can take that-"

"Enough!" interrupted Thalia angrily. "Shut up both of you. I'm here to smoke and drink and dance like it's my birthday, okay? Not sort out your problems." Thalia whipped out her cigarettes, turning to Jason and asked: "Want a smoke?"

Jason was irresolute. "Um...uh…"

Piper snorted.

"Sure."

Thalia lit him a cigarette and handed it to him. Like a professional, he put it to her lips. Inhaled. Exhaled. A puff of smoke extended into the air. Thalia was astonished. "You smoke before?"

Jason had the propriety to look sheepish. "Yeah. Everytime I go to Larry's place."

Thalia rolled her eyes and offered Piper and Rachel cigarettes. Rachel accepted but Piper was, like Jason, nervous. Thalia knew Piper never smoked before and don't intend on starting any time soon but before the brunette could say anything Annabeth butted in.

"Hey!" greeted the blonde, her lips swollen and her hair mussed-up. The buttoned up tops of her had a few windows hanging and the baby blue polka dot bra of hers was slightly exposed. "Luke gone to get some drinks."

She eyed the cigarette in Thalia's hand and gave her a derogatory look.

"What?"

"You'll get lung cancer. And you're corrupting all of my friends, even little baby Jason." (Ignoring Jason's protest of an indignant 'Hey!').

"No I'm not." To prove her point: "Piper, do you want a cigarette? See, Annie-kins, I'm giving her the benefit of a choice here."

Piper shrugged. "Is it safe?"

"It's a _cigarette_, Pipes." Jason didn't hesitate to scoff. "Not a pill."

"Hand it over here."

Thalia grinned cheekily at Annabeth, trying her best to hide all signs of a broken girl who had lost her will to see the light, and Annabeth huffed. "Fine, go burn your lungs."

Luke waddled over the with drinks in his hands, a grin on his face and beaming like a chesire cat. He placed an obligatory kiss on Annabeth's cheeks, making everyone coo, while Thalia looked away.

"You know what," Thalia said, the words of her mouth not really connecting to her brain. "I'm going over there for a while. I need some fresh air."

She quickly strode off but not after hearing Annabeth's mutter: "On the roof?"

She went over to the keg stands and popped open her bottle of Jack Daniels. Not stopping to think for a second, she held it to her mouth and chugged three, five, seven mouthfuls down.

Her head spun.

Her throat burned at the taste of the liquor.

It was bitter.

Then sweet.

And after that, fire.

She licked her lips and drank a bit more. She giggled- not the most notable defining mannerisms Thalia Grace possessed but she didn't care. And that's what Thalia Grace was here to do tonight- lose her ability to care for anything else.

"Aren't you thirsty?" An unfamiliar voice asked her and it was a boy. She squinted her eyes to make out of his appearance but it was quite fuzzy.

All she knew was he was tall, dark-haired and dark-eyed; handsome with a black leather jacket and a T-SHIRT that had bold, screaming words written on it: **AC/DC**.

"Nice shirt." She remarked.

"You're very drunk."

"No fucking duh."

"What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

"Nico Di Angelo." He held up his hand and she didn't shake it. He looked at her curiously, and she couldn't remember seeing such precocious intensity in his eyes. And they were lovely eyes. Large, round-almond shape and in the shade of melting chocolate with almost no emotion but a deep melancholy she didn't understand- that was a good sign. She was tired of trying understand think (namely a certain blue-eyed blond boy who was in love with her best friend). "Now you must tell me yours."

"Thalia."

"That's all I get?"

"That's all you deserved." They reached (he walked in an irritatingly sober stride and she unsteadily stagger) to one of those corners where couples would occupy it and unceremoniously proclaim it their domain by taking off their clothes and touch each other in unfamiliar places.

She sat on the ledge and offer him her Jack Daniel, feeling uncharacteristically generous. "Take a swig."

He did and sat besides her. He looked at her, almost in a way of natural curiosity and wilted darkness. Hmm, it seemed that was something very particular of Mr Nico Di Angelo. "Oi, give me back my liquor."

He hand her the bottle and she downed it in one go, and another swallow and another.

Down the swirling vortex of horrible decisions.

He arched an eyebrow- or was it two?- and then drink another gulp of alcohol. "What's your story?"

"Excuse me?"

"You look moody. And you're alone. You're drinking your ass off and smoking as though you'll never live tomorrow, which _will_ happen if you keep it close to your hair. What's your story?"

"What's yours?"

"My friend." He jabbed his thumb over to a guy with dark hair and sea-green eyes who was with Annabeth, talking to her and making her laugh or maybe it was another blonde. Who cares? She took another gulp. "Percy. He keep saying I need to be more 'social' and drag me to this party."

"That sucks," she said. "But you don't have to see parties like that; they don't have to be social. They can be...a place to escape."

"I feel trapped." deadpanned Nico. "In a high-ground area where three hundred teenagers can trampled me to death with high heels and their notorious dancing that is oddly resembling to Miley Cyrus 'jerking'."

She laughed. "Twerking."

"Whatever." He drank another swallow.

"Fuck them." She said when she saw Annabeth and Luke again, dancing with the rest of the crowd.

"Who?"

"Fuck off." she snapped. Everything was distorted and garbled. Fucked-up. Just like she was. She looked up at Nico; poor guy who just tried to make a conversation with her and here she was, being the crazy, bitter bitch. "I'm sorry. I just...hate...hate…"

"Parties?"

"Yes. No. I hate other things too."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." She tried to stand up only to fall on her feet and his arms caught her. They were strong and she could felt the twitch of his muscles and the scars in his arms...why were there scars?

"Tell me what you hate."

They were standing very close now and the seconds seemed to have deteriorated, slipped past like sand through the hourglass. It was hot. She started to sweat. Everything grew fuzzier and fuzzier...until there was only Nico, standing in front of her, confused (and very much drunk).

"I hate me." She whispered. "I hate every fucking being in this planet. And I hate him."

"Who?"

"Him." She said forcefully as though he should know. "_Him_. Third person, verb, male. I just…"

"Just what?"

"Just…" She tried once more but with no success and without realization, the word 'just' by no means didn't summarize the situation. "Just…"

"Just?"

"Just…" She grabbed him by the leather jacket (it felt soft and tattered under her touch) and kissed him on the mouth. It was…

Hazy.

And he tasted like whiskey.

They broke apart, gasping once they were done and she felt tingles down her back, she noticed he had placed his arms there and a coldness on her thigh where the empty Jack Daniels bottle was pressed roughly against her skin. It might've been painful, if she cared and wasn't entirely numb.

"I'm supposed to escort Percy back to my dorm." He mumbled but she seemed to not hear anything. Or gave a shit about. And the events that took place might've not been very clear to her inebriated mind. She had her vow to consider; that this act of revulsion would've consequences she had always prided herself in knowing and avoiding but now it didn't mean anything.

_Luke didn't mean anything._

"Fuck Percy."_ Fuck everything else._

Reaching for another beer, she dragged him down the fire escape and slammed the door of her dorm shut.

* * *

**First and foremost- it is NOT THALICO.**

**She hooked up with him but it doesn't mean she'll BE with him. It was a one-night stand and a night of stupid decisions. Drawn your own conclusions. **

**I mean come on, what kind of story would it be when she goes: I fucked you so let's get married!**

**When two people have sex doesn't necessarily result them in being a couple- at least, that's what happened to me and a guy last month... *clears throat" DON'T JUDGE ME. **

**This is a form of self-destruction at it's very best; when all the decisions you make are stupid and irrelevant. I was in that spot before. Believe me, it was dark times. I don't want an AU High School fic without any means and just mindless drama; Gwen's anorexia and bullimia is a serious issue amongst teens. And so is Thalia's constant, virulent smoking and drinking and underage sex. It's like the show Skins- the UK version, not the US one because the US sucked ass (no offense towards US). When these adolescent problems becomes real, and this is how I plan to advocate these issues towards you guys.**

**However, I can tell you that Thalia and Nico will become friends, nothing more and nothing less. Both are pining after their true loves- YES, YOU HEARD ME RIGHT. BOTH. There will be some Percy/Nico next chapter! Or at least Nico pining after Percy and Percy being the oblivious idiot he is. -_-**

**So yep.**

**Review, and tell me what do you think.**

**CIAO!**

**-Savvy.**


	8. No Good Deeds Goes Unpunished

**Do not own any of the characters. Belongs completely to Rick Riordan.**

.

Chapter 8

No Good Deeds Goes Unpunished

or

"Realization"

On 28th of October, Annabeth Chase broke up with Luke Castellan because he caught her trying to shag a girl named Silena Beauregard, who had in turn hit and spilled her drink on his head.

On 28th of October, Percy Jackson comforted Annabeth while she cried on his shoulder, cursing her asshole boyfriend (no the author will not deny it).

On 28th of October, Thalia Grace made a very bad decision and lost her virginity.

On 28th of October, Jason began to squander the reckless hope he kept for his father. And lost control. Ultimately.

On 28th of October, Piper stopped living under her father's shadow and start thinking about what she wanted to do.

On 28th of October, Nico Di Angelo woke up with a pounding head.

Blinking fatigue out his eyes, he had arose from the bed, head hurting like a bitch and his mouth felt as though a skunk had crawled into it and died.

Next to him was a mass of dark and pale skin; a girl. He gaped, and looked around, then realized he was in a girls' dorm which was noticeably empty. The girl stirred and started to wake up, her eyes fluttering and noticing he was in the same bed with her (and very much naked).

"What the-?" She yanked the blankets to cover up her very much topless half. "What the _fuck_ happened?"

"Ow," He groaned at the sheer volume of her shriek, and rubbed his eyes. "Alcohol happened."

She gasped. The events of last night dawning to her and she buried her face into her hands. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!"

Nico was slightly offended. Honestly, he wasn't that bad of an image to wake up to, was he? But then again, they were very drunk, looking at the few bottles that littered the floor. The night wasn't that horrible, minus the beer-laden breath and sweaty odours, and in her defense, she wasn't bad-looking. Choppy dark hair that looked as though they've been trimmed with a pair of scissors, electric azure blue eyes and creamy skin, but not even the naked pretty girl- what was her name again? Tess? Delilah?- lying on the bed could make him forget what he really want to forget.

"I'm never drinking again." The girl said vehemently. "I'm never _looking_ at Jack Daniels again...I…"

"Are you okay?" He asked obligatorily. He wasn't one who do things that were 'obligatory' but she did looked genuinely upset.

"Shit." She slumped onto the pillows. "I'm thoroughly _fucked_."

"Well, you were last night." She shot him the daggers. And then she hung her head dejectedly. "I can't believe it...I broke..._fuck_."

"Broke what?" he inquired curiously, slipping on his shirt and buttoning his pants.

She looked at him. And she wasn't even sure why she told him; she just felt obligated. "My vow."

He gaped at her. "Wait, you mean you're in the Celibacy Club...the Amazons or something?"

"Hunters," she corrected. "And I'm the _fucking_ captain of the Celibacy Club."

"Damn. You don't strike me as the good, little virgin Jesus-Amen-Praying American sweetheart type." He gestured to all the alternative rock band posters she taped to the wall and her fishnet stockings and leather jacket.

"Don't stereotype," she scolded. "But yes, I can't believe... I'm so screwed!"

"Yeah, you are."

"Hey, you're not in much room to judge either, Mr I-Sleep-With-Random-Girls-At-Parties-I-Don't-Like!"

"My room is bigger than yours."

"It's _not!_" She breathed heavily, sneakily picking up her clothes and sliding her underwear on. She clasped her bra, wiggled into a black shirt and a pair of shorts. "Look, this is a mistake. A really, really big one; it's just a one night stand. It was nothing…we just need to forget it ever happen."

Nico's confidence faltered a bit but then he thought why should he care? She was right. He wanted to forget, didn't he? Nico's face twisted into a scowl as he wore his jacket: "That's classy."

"Says the guy who screwed a completely wasted girl," scoffed Thalia and she shut her eyes, retracting what she said earlier: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She looked at him with her clear eyes of regret and guilt, "Can you don't tell anybody?"

"Fine."

"Now get out."

"I'm about to." He strode to the door, smelling like a beer factory, and walked out. He had opted to walk the school a bit to think about what the hell happened last night. Although he was set on not going to the party, his friend Percy was adamant. Percy had decided that he was depressed, presumably because his sister had died in a car crash the previous late summer, spent his free afternoons underneath his bed, unwilling to socialize with anybody and devoted a bit of time thinking about death.

He supposed Percy was right but he still didn't want to go to the parties. High school parties were always the same; never absent of the familiar blur of drunkenness and exploitation in the height of today's youth. Everyone would be wasted, everyone was together, everyone was smoking- everyone was doing something against their parents' approval. Perhaps that girl was right; high school parties were away to escape the shitty world.

He was enjoying his solitary stroll down from the girls' dorms to the busy common room where it was alive and buzzing with adolescent chatter- normal teenager stuff like who's dating who and et cetera. When he stumbled into the room, following the buzz of morning conversation, no one noticed him. He liked it that way, because it meant no one could see him in this horrid state.

Ignoring the chatter, he sat down on an empty spot and managed to avoid thinking of Percy for almost a full twenty minutes.

Percy had only seemed to notice Bianca's death and helped him through everything- even though he wasn't quite over it. Percy was the person who seemed to genuinely _care _for Nico and wasn't like the rest of the faceless anonymous crowd at Bianca's funeral (_Oh dear, you poor thing_ or worse, _I am so sorry for your loss. Would you like a cookie?_). A cookie wouldn't bring her back. Nothing would. And he would just have to accept that.

Then the other problem he had was Percy.

Percy, who was sea green-eyed, dark-haired, loyal to a fault, goofy, adoringly stupid, awkwardly perfectly and, much to the disappointment of the male's population, straight; not was only aforementioned oblivious guy straight, he was also quite infatuated with another girl. Nico hated it; Percy loved that Annabeth girl _so _much and she couldn't see it because she was too hung up over her boyfriend. Why did Percy have to torture himself like this, going after someone who didn't return his feelings? If Annabeth wasn't going to love Percy like Percy loved her, she didn't deserve him.

Not that he was saying _he _did…

Never mind.

Nico knew that there was never a chance in the Universe that Percy would ever return these feelings nor would his sister rise from the dead or the chance that things in his already shitty life would be, for once, happy in tranquillity.

The girl last night…yes, it was just a one night stand. A brief moment of mindlessness under the gravity of darkness, to cope with the struggle of existence. Something to help him forget and just feel the touch of a foreign being under him, the scent of booze and cigarettes and pine exuding from another life form did somehow helped him know that he didn't care what that particular roommate of his did anymore.

After all, sex was best when you're not in love.

* * *

_Why is there drool on my t-shirt? _

It was Annabeth's first thought of consciousness when she opened her eyes, her vision filling with sunlight, eradicating the abyss coated behind her eyes. She appeared to be nestled in a bed of white sheets, her lungs felt as though she had smoked an entire packet of Thalia's cigarettes and her head pinging like a ping pong ball in a very heated match.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She saw Percy besides her and before her mind could make further conclusions, she noticed he was fully-clothed. That was good, she breathed normally, and it meant she didn't do anything…illogical. A bit of drool had leaked from his mouth and onto his pillow; something she found rather cute.

She grabbed her bag from the floor and staggered to the mirror on the desk. Every part of her body ached when she drank the glass of water left on the desk, and stared at her reflection to recollect what happened last night.

(_Eight hours ago)_

Annabeth was starting to feel lost. She didn't even know why she went to the party, maybe because all her friends were going and she didn't want to be alone on a Friday night eating a jumbo bag of chips while re-reading _Animal Farm _by George Orwell. Also Luke showed up, begging her to come to the party with him so she, Luke, Piper and Rachel went all together.

Thalia later showed up with her brother and predictably a bottle of bourbon in tow. She danced with Luke for a while- or whatever they were doing to the rhythmically simplistic so-called music. Then her feet got tired so she told Luke she wanted to take a break and he complied, agreeing he was starting to be tired at tripping over her feet and having drunk adolescents slobber all over him.

She said she would be at the corner with her friends, he kissed her on the cheeks and she smelled a faint dizzying scent of whiskey went he bent down to do so when he took off to get some drinks. She went over to Piper and Rachel (who was completely pissed already), laughed for a great deal and Thalia excused herself when Luke came over, beers in his hands.

She frowned. Why did Thalia seem to be absent whenever Luke showed affections towards her? Was she still not over Luke like she told Annabeth she was?

The worries were put out of her mind when Luke whispered in her ear, his breath tickling the skin: "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." She sipped an obligatory gulp of her beer. The taste was bitter, foamy and unpleasant but she swallowed it down, burning her throat. At the corner of her eye, she saw Percy…laughing with Rachel.

The vivacious redhead was stumbling upon her feet, giggling at everything and thinking Piper was a donkey as Percy helped her up. "Are you okay?" Percy was amused.

"_I'm _fine, jeez, Perce. I'm just o…kay! Why is there a llama on your head? It's _fat!_"

"You need to get back to your dorm," said Percy firmly. "Piper, would you help me?"

"I'm so _sorry, _Jason, but last I check the sun does not revolve around you! It revolves around the Earth!"

"Oh forgive me, I didn't hear you there. I couldn't make out the words of all your _incessant _blabbering."

"_I do not blabber, you-"_

"Never mind," muttered Percy and Rachel only laughed more as Percy stabled her with his arms wrapped around Rachel, she giggled and placed kisses on his cheeks. Percy turned into a shade of Rachel's red hair, and Annabeth felt herself go green with envy, her jaw clenching and teeth gritting. But why should she care?

"Let me help Rachel find her way into the dorm, you know, before she accidentally falls off the roof."

"'Kay," shrugged a nonchalant Luke-another one of his admirable qualities was that he was flexible to whatever incoming problems she had to deal with; he was patient…and admittedly, right now, intoxicated but she had to solve Rachel's problem first.

"Here," She strode over to Percy. "I'll bring her back. You go enjoy yourself."

Percy handed a slurry Rachel over and Rachel fell on the blonde but the blonde's strength managed to support her. "She's all yours."

"Come on," She grunted as she half-lifted and half-dragged Rachel to the latch, Rachel kept playing with her and Annabeth prayed, prayed to dear God that Rachel would not throw up over her hair.

"_Holy shit!" _shrieked Rachel at the top of her voice, tugging at her strands while Annabeth irritably smacked Rachel's hands away (and failed). "Your hair is _golden!"_

"Remind me to never ever get you drunk."

"Oh come on Annie-kins, I love getting drunk. It taste weird and my mouth is all fuzzy, and –_ohmyfuckinggod _Professor Apollo is like…hot."

"No, Rachel, no, you DO _NOT _flirt with the teacher's assistant!"

"Hullo, sexy, wanna go into the bushes?"

"Miss Dare, what _on EARTH _are you doing? And not that I don't fully agree that I'm stunningly attractive, but this is just too weird,"

"It's not weird; it's completely meant to be!"

Annabeth finally caught up with Rachel, who was, indeed, surprisingly fast when she was pissed-out drunk. "I'm so sorry, Mr Apollo. She's sort of…"

"Insane?"

"Just a bit."

"_Just a bit insane,_

_A little drunk and inane,_

_Apollo is hot."_

Annabeth stared at the twenty-two year old Professor, who was Mr Brunner's teacher assistant. He had recently graduated from Stanford University and enjoyed _many _of his time winding up in upperclassmen females' dorm, naked and in the bed of another nameless tart. She honestly did not know how he passed high school, much less entered Stanford University. "What does the last line have to do with anything?"

Mr Apollo was insulted.

"It's true!"

"Um…yeah, of course, how silly of me," lied Annabeth, hoisting Rachel up the best she could and Rachel was now doing the pouty duck face to Apollo. Annabeth couldn't wait the next Monday when Rachel had to face Mr Apollo in English, entirely sober and out of memory with the event and Mr Apollo's reactions to her who had just practically called Mr Apollo 'foxy'. "I need to bring her back to her dorms, you know, almost curfew."

Mr Apollo nodded. "Of course, Miss Chase."

Annabeth finally reached the dorm, suffering Drunk Rachel to last about a life time. "Bed," she ordered the girl. "Now."

Rachel pouted. "I don't wanna."

"_Now."_

"Fine."

Rachel covered herself with her sheets; Annabeth switched off the lights and closed the door, relief settling onto her shoulders. She began to venture back to the party; unaware that Rachel had snuck out of the dorm after Annabeth had went up the fire escape again and into Mr Apollo's work room, where he was composing his horrible haikus.

Annabeth scanned the roof for her boyfriend but had difficulty spotting his familiar head of wavy blond hair. She saw Jason, still bantering with Piper, but no Luke. Frowning, she went to the keg table for a drink.

Annabeth Chase held certain ideas of people; stereotypes and impressions of how people would turn out to be and once she had decidedly formed an idea on so and so person, she never really changed the idea. Or at least was adamant on _not to. _Annabeth Chase was not naïve or maybe she didn't possess the predictable, American sweetheart naiveté but in a way, she was naïve. She thought she wasn't innocent but she was. When you think about it, almost all us were sure we weren't innocent…not in a manner of your younger siblings but compared to the elders of the older generation, you _were _innocent.

This particular tale contained many lessons- _one: _don't leave your partner unattended in a party full of attractive and drunken girls, _two_: just because you think that person would never do it doesn't mean he won't and _three:_

Luke Castellan was a cheating asshole.

Luke had his arm around a pretty female of dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was tall and ribbon-slim; the sort of girl Annabeth wished she looked like. And Annabeth knew her. Silena Beaugard. Luke pressed his lips against hers, then Silena pushed him away, slapped him (something Annabeth could've done herself) and splashed her beer onto his jeans jacket. "_What the hell?" _shrieked Silena, disgusted.

"Bitch," growled Luke, taking off his jacket and whirled to the front where he saw Annabeth, gaping soundlessly at the recent scene.

"Annabeth…" began Luke, starting towards her, not knowing what to say. Without a word, Annabeth marched away from him, exiting the roof as everyone stared at her and whispered. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as Percy followed her down and brought her to his dorm to comfort her. She wept silently into his shirt for the rest of the night.

_Fuck. _

(Present)

"Hey," A voice arose from the bed. Percy. He smiled goofily at her, "I need coffee. How 'bout you?"

"Coffee sounds good." Did she sound nasally? She wiped her wet cheeks and turned to face him. "Do I look okay to go out in public?"

"You're fine." He stood up, stumbling a bit, and hesitated as he asked: "Are you okay? I mean, about last night…"

"I'm fine." Her voice came out cold. "Let's just get some coffee okay?"

* * *

This was it. The time to tell her how he felt and how much she's worth to him- everything's infinite and measured by moments, bravery of baring all of emotions and shedding the obscurity of cowardice and this was definitely it.

"Annabeth," he called, and she spun around, pausing from trying to find her cell phone.

"Yes?" There were tears in her eyes and the water made her grey eyes looked like liquid silver.

"You're crying," he observed. "Are you _sure _you're okay?"

"I told you _I'm _fine." She snapped. "It's just that…maybe Thalia was right about relationships and the whole love ordeal. I mean, Luke was my friend. He was a good guy and even _that _screwed up then maybe decent, committed guys_ are_ finally an extinct breed," Realizing how this sounds: "Not that _you _aren't nice, you're a complete sweetheart. Me, dumping this on you and ruining your shirt-" he laughed when she pointed to his tear-dampen shirt, "-you deserved someone loves you. But I guess what I'm saying is that I'm done."

He raised an eyebrow, not sure what she meant. To be frank, almost half the things Annabeth said don't normally make sense to him. "Done?"

"With relationships," she sighed, "I'm quite sick of love right at the moment. Anyways, shall we go to coffee?"

To love someone can take a lifetime, to break only required a second- and in that second, it seemed all hope Percy had was crushed.

* * *

Piper sat on the vinyl seat outside of the café just down the street of Goode Academy with sunglasses perched on her nose to prevent any form of sunlight meeting with her eyes.

"I feel like crap."

"Amen," groaned Thalia. "Why is my head still hurting?"

"How much did you drink last night?" asked Annabeth, amazed.

"I don't know…five or six bottles of vodka maybe?"

"I still don't know how you're not dead from alcohol poisoning."

"You know people often said that when you're a teenager, you lack all care of your own well-being and become almost endurable to every harmful substance," added Piper, before taking a large gulp of her black coffee. "Has anyone seen Rachel?'

"Does anyone have Prozac?" groaned Thalia, "Or Panadol?"

"Thalia," her blonde friend started to worry, "If it gets worse, you'll need to see a doctor."

"I'm fine…the problem is Rachel. I didn't see her at breakfast."

"Neither did I," put on Annabeth. "_Are _you in _utmost assurance _that you didn't see her leave the dorm?"

"Yes! God, mom, I was the only one in the fucking room, which reminds me where the hell were _both _of you?"

"On the roof," said Piper shamefully.

Annabeth turned red and said nothing.

"Annabeth?"

"Oh my God, you were at a boy's dorm, _weren't you?" _ Thalia half-shrieked, frightening the pigeons on the sidewalk, "_Annabeth Lynn-"_

"Don't use the middle name!"

"Did you lose it?"

"No, of course not; it wasn't anything like that but I…" she hesitated, "…I broke up with Luke."

Thalia looked as though she was smacked between her eyes.

In the past recent month, Piper had gotten to know these people and the school. She wasn't willing to concede but she liked this school. It was different, unlike any other place she had set foot in. Other schools her father had sent her were all the same- similar snobby crowd who looked like Abercrombie models and frowned upon anyone who shopped at Abercrombie, similar sort of teachers who treated you like criminals and expect you to work twice as hard anybody but Goode Academy was not like that. On her first night; she was taken to the roof and sprayed with water balloons and water rifles. It had people like Annabeth and Thalia, people she can call…friends. She never had that. She haven't felt that particular part of her life filled with people she genuinely liked and cared for in a very long time. She had been alone and now she wasn't. It was kind of a nice feeling. Yes, Piper Mclean actually liked Goode Academy and its strange, possibly unstable and demented people. Sure, there were its negatives like Drew but everything was considerably alright.

She had only knew Annabeth, Thalia and Rachel for a month but she felt as though she known them for years. She looked at Annabeth in concern and attempted to place a comforting hand on her shoulder- she wasn't necessarily brilliant with making anyone better or encouragement. She was still clueless on how to do 'friends' stuff, but whatever comes naturally should be right. "And are you okay?"

"I think I'm fine, crappy, but okay."

"Why?" asked Thalia suddenly, "Why break up with him?"

"He tried to screw Silena and Silena spill her drink on him."

"Asshole," agreed Piper, "Annabeth...I'm so sorry. I know you had really loved him."

"It's not your fault. You have nothing to apologize for."

"I don't get people who apologizes for things that aren't their fault," mused Thalia with a shake of her head.

Piper rolled her eyes. "It's way of sympathizing; to show that you feel sorry for that wrongdoing done towards aforementioned people."

"Still- pointless but a fair enough argument. However, I think we have a more pressing matter as now Red has disappeared off the face of Earth. Annabeth, are you positive that she was asleep when you left the dorm?"

Annabeth frowned. "She was…I wasn't drunk enough to forget that. She pulled up the blankets and everything."

"Call Percy if he'd seen her."

Annabeth dialled Percy's number, methodically pressed the phone to her ear and conversed for a little while. She laughed a great deal, then frowned and nodded in understanding.

"He didn't see her in the art room or for the rest of the day.

Piper started to fear for Rachel. They were all positively smashed last night, drunk beyond recognition, what if…Rachel had wandered out of bed and onto the streets, got into an accident somewhere and now dead in an alley? But no, Piper couldn't think like that. Surely, Rachel was safe. She must be. "She's probably somewhere; I bet she's at the dorm right now."

"Probably," intoned Thalia sardonically.

* * *

**And THERE WE GO! The Jasper will be put in motion next chapter, and the ah-Drama Project. PLUS FICTION CHRISTMAS IS COMING! **

**_Please _review. If you like it- review. Dislike it- review. Completely apathetic- review.  
**

**Reviews are, like, Nico Di Angelo (naked). LOL, just joking. But point- REVIEW!**

**-Savvy.**


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